How to Pronounce Sigmoidocele

Sigmoidocele is pronounced sig-MOY-doh-seel. The stress falls on the second syllable (MOY), so you say it a little louder and longer than the other parts. A helpful way to remember: think "SIG-moid" (the colon part) plus "oh-SEEL" (the hernia part).

Sigmoid comes from the Greek letter sigma, which looks like an 'S'—and the sigmoid colon is shaped like an S or the letter C. "Sigmoid" just means "S-shaped" in medical language. So sigmoidocele is specifically about the S-shaped part of your colon.

The "-cele" suffix comes from Greek and means "pouch," "swelling," or "hernia." You'll see it in many medical terms like varicocele or cystocele. When you add "-cele" to "sigmoid," it tells you the sigmoid colon is bulging or protruding where it shouldn't be.

Sigmoidocele means the sigmoid colon (the last curved section of your large intestine) has dropped or bulged into the pelvic floor. You could simply call it a "prolapse of the sigmoid colon" or a "sigmoid colon hernia."

Sigmoidocele breaks into five syllables: sig-MOY-doh-oh-seel. The main stress is on MOY (the second syllable), which is why it's pronounced sig-MOY-doh-seel, not sig-moy-DOH-seel or sig-moy-doh-oh-SEEL.

You'll find "-cele" in cystocele (bladder bulging), rectocele (rectal wall bulging), and enterocele (small intestine bulging). All these terms use "-cele" to describe organs or tissues that have herniated or prolapsed into an area where they don't normally sit.

There isn't a common abbreviation for sigmoidocele like there is for some medical terms. Doctors usually either write out the full word or refer to it as a "sigmoid prolapse" or "sigmoid colon hernia" in conversation.

You might hear a healthcare provider say: "The imaging shows a sigmoidocele on the left side of the pelvic floor." This sentence tells you exactly which part of the colon is affected and where it's located.