What does the suffix -rrhaphy indicate?

• A. Surgical suturing
• B. Rupture
• C. Flow, discharge
• D. Abnormal hardening

Answer: (A)

Suffix -rrhaphy signals a procedure of suturing or stitching tissue together. It comes from Greek rhaphē, meaning a suture. Because of that, terms ending in -rrhaphy describe surgical repair achieved by suturing—for example, herniorrhaphy is repair of a hernia by stitching, neurorrhaphy is suturing of a nerve, and myorrhaphy is suturing of a muscle. This is different from other related suffixes: -rrhea refers to flow or discharge, -rrhagia to bleeding, and -sclerosis to hardening. So the suffix in question indicates surgical suturing.