How to Pronounce Gastric Fistula

Say it like this: GAS-trik FIS-tyoo-lah. The first word rhymes with "plastic," and the second word sounds like "fist" plus "yoo-luh." The stress falls on the first syllable of each word: GAS and FIS.

Gastric comes from the Greek word "gaster," which means stomach. So whenever you see the word gastric, it's referring to something related to the stomach.

Fistula (FIS-tyoo-lah) is a medical term that means an abnormal opening or tunnel. It comes from Latin and originally described a pipe or tube, but in medicine it describes an unexpected connection between two places in the body.

Gastric fistula breaks down like this: GAS-trik FIS-tu-lah. That's two syllables in the first word and three in the second word, for five total.

Many people accidentally stress the second syllable and say gas-TRIK instead of GAS-trik, or they rush through the second word and say FIS-chul instead of FIS-tyoo-lah. Remember: the stress belongs on the first syllable of each word.

A gastric fistula is an abnormal hole or connection that develops between the stomach and something else—either another organ inside the body or the skin on the outside. Think of it as an unexpected tunnel where there shouldn't be one.

You'll see "gastric" in words like gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), gastroenterology (the study of the stomach and intestines), and gastroscopy (looking inside the stomach). They all involve the stomach in some way.

You might read or hear: "The doctor explained that a gastric fistula had formed between the stomach and the abdominal wall." This sentence shows how the term is used to describe the specific abnormal connection.