Pyelograms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of images produced by radiological methods to visualize the renal pelvis and urinary tract after administering a contrast medium
2. Diagnostic images that depict the structure of the kidneys and ureters, obtained via X-ray or similar techniques following contrast injection
3. Images acquired to assess kidney function and urinary system anatomy, typically involving the use of a visible contrast agent during a radiological examination

Etymology: "Pyelograms" is the plural of "pyelogram", and the word is built from two Greek-derived parts: "pyelo-", from the Greek "pyelos", meaning a trough or basin (used in anatomy for the renal pelvis, the funnel-shaped cavity where the kidney collects urine), and "-gram", from the Greek "gramma", meaning something written or drawn. A pyelogram is therefore literally a picture of the kidney's collecting basin. The word is a modern technical coinage, not an ancient one. Ancient Greek physicians had no X-rays or contrast media, so the compound was assembled from classical roots only when medicine needed a name for these images. The "-gram" element follows the same pattern as "radiogram" and "angiogram", where a suffix names the picture produced by a particular imaging method.