A surgical suturing procedure. The needle goes into the skin, across the incison and out through the skin on the other side; then a bite parallel to the incision and on top of the skin; then back through the skin, across the wound and out to the surface again. It is tied to the end of the suture if the pattern is to be an interrupted one. It may be interrupted or continuous, vertical or horizontal, and direct or crossed. The interrupted horizontal pattern is called also the automatic ridge suture, the four-stitch interrupted suture and the U-suture.
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- cross m. s. p. — after emerging from the second side of the incision, the suture material crosses over the incision so the next steps are taken in the same direction as the first.
