Gastrorrhaphy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surgical procedure in which the stomach wall is sutured or stitched to repair an injury or defect
2. The act of closing or repairing a wound or opening in the stomach by means of surgical stitching
3. A surgical technique involving the suturing of the stomach tissue to mend damage or create closure

Etymology: Gastrorrhaphy is a surgical term for stitching the stomach back together, and its parts are plain Greek. "Gastro-" comes from Greek "gastēr," meaning stomach, the same root that gives us "gastronomy" and "gastropod." The second element, "-rrhaphy," comes from Greek "rhaphē," meaning a seam or suture, related to the verb "rhaptein," to sew. Surgeons use the "-rrhaphy" ending for many operations that close a wound or organ with stitches, so the word names a specific kind of repair rather than any general treatment of the stomach. The formation follows a pattern that medical writers built from classical roots, so the word was coined in modern scientific language rather than used by ancient Greek physicians. Its meaning stays literal throughout: a stomach, and a seam.

Synonyms: gastric suturing