Lateral imbrication and reefing are both surgical terms that mean the suturing of tissue or the closing of a wound. Let’s break down each term:

Here is the meaning of each term:

1. Lateral Imbrication: In surgery, Imbrication is described as the overlapping or the folding of tissue to give a surety of the closure. Lateral imbrication is particularly the overlapping of the structure or tissue in the side or in layers. This technique is used in many surgical operations such as repairing the abdominal wall hernias where the surgeon will approximate the edges of the hernia defect to strengthen the repair.

2. Reefing: Reefing is a surgical operation where by the tissue is folded or gathered in a way to reduce its size or length. This can be done to enhance or to make a structure more rigids. For instance, in the surgical reconstruction of the urethra known as urethroplasty, reefing might involve folding the extra tissue so that the urethra is shorter and more taut so that it can function properly.

To sum up, it is possible to say that although lateral imbrication and reefing are the surgical techniques, which involve tissue rearrangement to correct the pathology, they have different methods of action and application. In lateral imbrication, tissues are placed one over the other at the edge while reefing is the process where the tissues are folded to reduce length.