The suffix [-(o)plasty] has a Greek origin and means "formed or molded". It is used in surgery to denote a surgical repair where the organ or body part is re-formed. For practical purposes, a great definition for this suffix is "surgical reshaping".
If an organ or body part is surgically manipulated, cut, or opened, then there are two ways to repair the damage. The first one is to repair and leave it exactly as it was before the operation. The proper suffix to use in this case is [-orrhaphy], meaning "repair". The second case is when the organ has been repaired in such a way that is different in shape than when the operation started. In this case the proper suffix to use is [-oplasty].
Some applications of this suffix are:
• Hernioplasty: Surgical reshaping of a hernia
• Abdominoplastly: Surgical reshaping of the abdomen
• Rhinoplasty: Surgical reshaping of the nose
• Aneurysmoplasty: Surgical reshaping of an aneurysm
• Mammoplastly: Surgical reshaping of the breast