Surgical repair
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
The definition of surgical repair is restoring, to the extent possible, an anatomical structure, using a surgical action. Repair is an objective or intended accomplishment, not a means (e.g., suturing, transplanting, etc.) nor a need (e.g., normal functioning, cosmetic appearance, pain relief, etc.).
Surgery that restores structure is usually intended to restore function and appearance. Restoring function, however, is not necessary for a procedure to be considered a repair. It is also possible for surgery to restore function without restoring structure (e.g., surgery to attach a prosthetic limb after amputation). This type of surgery would not be strictly categorized as a repair.
The Method (attribute) is used to model both the objective of a procedure and the means used to accomplish it. If a procedure requires both a repair action and another type of action, then two relationship groups should be used.
Fistula
Closure action is a kind of repair action. All fistula closures use the closure action and are classified as kinds of repair procedures.
For example,
79433000 |Closure of colon fistula (procedure)| has Method (attribute), Closure - action (qualifier value) with a parent, Repair of colon (procedure)
Plastic repair
Surgery that accomplishes a repair (a structural restoration) often uses the suffix -plasty. The term plastic repair is also used. In order to avoid redundancy, the following terms are used:
Prosthetic repair, using external (non-body) materials
Plastic repair, reshaping the body
-plasty
The suffix -plasty is widely used in concepts that apply to prosthetic repairs (e.g. total hip arthroplasty). So -plasty may refer to any general repair (prosthetic, plastic, or other) and not just plastic repairs.
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