Which term denotes the condition of gallstones?

Which term denotes the condition of gallstones?

• A. Cholecystectomy
• B. Cholecystitis
• C. Chondromalacia
• D. Cholelithiasis

Answer: (D)

The main idea is recognizing how medical terms are built to name conditions. The term for having gallstones is cholelithiasis. It combines chole- (bile), lith- (stone), and -iasis (a condition or presence). So it literally means a condition of stones in the bile system, which is exactly what “gallstones” describes. This is why it’s the right choice: it names the stone condition itself in the gallbladder or biliary tract. The other terms refer to different things—cholecystectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the gallbladder, cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder (often due to stones but not the stone condition itself), and chondromalacia is a cartilage-softening issue elsewhere in the body, not related to the biliary system.

The main idea is recognizing how medical terms are built to name conditions. The term for having gallstones is cholelithiasis. It combines chole- (bile), lith- (stone), and -iasis (a condition or presence). So it literally means a condition of stones in the bile system, which is exactly what “gallstones” describes.

This is why it’s the right choice: it names the stone condition itself in the gallbladder or biliary tract. The other terms refer to different things—cholecystectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the gallbladder, cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder (often due to stones but not the stone condition itself), and chondromalacia is a cartilage-softening issue elsewhere in the body, not related to the biliary system.