B. Guyuron et C. Vaughan, COMPARISON OF POLYDIOXANONE AND POLYGLACTIN-910 IN INTRADERMAL REPAIR, Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 98(5), 1996, pp. 817-820
A prospective clinical study was undertaken to compare the results of
intradermal layer closure using two popular absorbable suture material
s, polydioxanone and polyglactin 910. On an alternating basis, 6-0 pol
ydioxanone and 6-0 polyglactin 910 were used to repair 80 surgical sit
es of the temple and occipital regions in 20 patients undergoing facia
l rhytidectomy. In all instances, the superficial skin layer was repai
red with 6-0 plain catgut. These sites were evaluated by a double-blin
d method for erythema, induration, infection, scar spread, and hypertr
ophic scarring at approximately 5 months and at least 1 year postopera
tively. Scar spread was indicated at widths greater than 1 mm. Any rai
sed scar was labeled hypertrophic. Scar spread, as defined above, was
observed in 6 of 38 incisions repaired with polyglactin 910, and 3 sit
es developed scar hypertrophy. Conversely, 3 of 38 incisions closed wi
th polydioxanone revealed scar spread (p < 0.25), and 3 were hypertrop
hic (p < 0.35). Sixty-one sites healed with undiscernible scars. This
study does not disclose any statistically significant difference in th
e quality of the scars when polyglactin 910 is used compared with poly
dioxanone.