How do you pronounce duodenal?

Well, since he will probably be my surgeon I might try to say it his way!  But glad to see the two ways are probably both just fine!

You say tomatoe, I say tomato You say potatoe, I say potato Let's call the whole thing off. It sounds like there are a couple ways of saying it.  Bugs me when people feel compelled to correct one for a "mispronunciation", when there is no absolute correct way. Just ahows their rigidity. So there - my ***** of the day. SherryB

It's like any other word with different pronunciations like aunt, tomato, or whatever. It just depends on the way you learned it the first time. I've always been taught in school and college anatomy classes that it's the du-ODD-den-um so that's how I say it. My best friend's mom, who's an RN at the hospital I got my surgery at, pronounces it the other way. It just depends on the person and how they learned it. There's no right or wrong way.

They're both right.  I use both, just depends on how I feel that particular moment.  Even my surgeon uses both pronunciations.

It is pronounced du-odd-en-al, but I like to pronouce it duo-dee-nal for some odd reason and it just sounds nicer. I mostly say DS when I speak to anyone, includig doctors or medical professionals. Saves me being corrected by anyone. Pronouncing it correctly just doesn't appeal to me to say it, unless in a professional setting.   Most of the surgeons I have spoken with say du-odd-en-al, including my surgeon.

My psych says it the same way.  I just say DS. 

You know, I've always wondered myself. I thought it was regional, but it might be which school. Who knows? I'd say at the ASMBS conf, it was 50/50.

So, rather than being always wrong, now you are always RIGHT!

Both are correct - personally, when referring to the DS, I say "Due -uh-DEE-nal". When I recall the pseudo ulcers they thought I had (that turned out to be gall stones), I remember them as "due-WAD-dun-ul" ulcers.

--BT

My surgeon simply says "the switch".  He is silent on the pronunciation of duodenal. Guess I might as well say "the switch" too! (Wonders if there are German and Spanish words for duodenal, since Dr. D is fluent in both languages?)

One of my clients is a pain specialist (we don't say anesthesiologist w/ him anymore because that's not broad enough for all that he does) at Cedars Cinai and I specifically asked him, I told him some say one way some say the other, he said, "You can say du-ODD-en-al, that's fine" so I tend to believe it's tomato tomahto but not sure... I know my mouth is more comfortable with du-odd-en-al so that's where I'll stick :)