THE USE OF NONABSORBABLE SUTURE IN THE FIXATION OF PATELLAR FRACTURES- A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

We describe the use of a non-absorbable, braided, polyester suture, 5 Ti-Cron (Davis and Geck, Gosport, Hampshire), for the fixation of pate llar fractures as an alternative to stainless steel wire. Seven patien ts had their fractures fixed with this material and all progressed to union with good restoration of knee function. The ease of use of the s uture allowed accurate reduction of the fractures and reduced operativ e and tourniquet time. None of the patients suffered significant compl ications from the procedure although two patients required removal of the suture because of knot symptoms. This was easily performed under l ocal anaesthetic on an out-patient basis. We believe that non-absorbab le suture is a good substitute for stainless steel wire and reduces th e need for a second procedure for wire removal. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd. All rights reserved.