If a medical term ends with -rrhaphy, what does it indicate?

• A. Suture
• B. Surgical puncture
• C. Surgical removal
• D. Surgical repair

Answer: (A)

Ending in -rrhaphy signals suturing or stitching of tissue as a way to repair it. This suffix comes from Greek rhaphē meaning stitch, so the procedure described involves closing tissue by sewing it together. Examples include suturing muscle (myorrhaphy) or suturing the perineum (episiorrhaphy). This is distinct from terms for puncture (-centesis) or removal (-ectomy), so the precise meaning of -rrhaphy is to suture.