SpringerLink
Log in

Absorbable vs. non-absorbable suture: which one gives better results?

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

There is no ideal suture material or ideal sewing technique. The type of suture material affects the quality of the scars. Patient and surgeon satisfaction with the quality and comfort of the scar is one of the main goals of modern surgery.

Aims

This study aims to compare the quality of scars and patient satisfaction after using two different types of sutures.

Methods

This research was conducted as a prospective study that included 64 patients whose surgical wounds were closed with intradermal suture using different suturing materials according to which the patients were divided into two groups: absorbable — Monocryle (32) and non-absorbable — DemeLENE suture (32). POSAS scale and an ultrasound machine were used to assess the scars. The doctor and the patient evaluated seven parameters on two occasions, after 2 and 6 weeks after the surgery.

Results

The statistically significant advantage was found after 2 weeks in scars sewn with non-resorptive suture in terms of elasticity, doctor’s general impression, pain, itching, color, stiffness, thickness, irregularity, and patient’s general impression. After 6 weeks, statistically significantly better results were shown on scars sewn with non-resorptive thread for the parameters doctor’s general impression, itching, irregularity, and patient’s general impression.

Conclusions

Non-resorptive sutures show statistically significantly better results, especially after 2 weeks from the patient’s point of view so we consider them more comfortable and convenient to use.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Germany)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. El Kinani M, Duteille F (2020) Scar Epidemiology and Consequences. In: Téot L, Mustoe TA, Middelkoop E, Gauglitz GG (eds) Textbook on scar management: state of the art management and emerging technologies. Springer, Cham (CH), p 2020

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bock O, Schmid-Ott G, Malewski P, Mrowietz U (2006) Quality of life of patients with keloid and hypertrophic scarring. Arch Dermatol Res 297(10):433–438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-006-0651-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Hsieh JC, Maisel-Campbell AL, Joshi CJ et al (2021) Daily quality-of-life impact of scars: an interview-based foundational study of patient-reported themes. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 9(4):e3522. https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000003522

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Jacobs J, Kattapuram M, Rundle CW et al (2023) The impact on quality-of-life following treatment of surgical facial scars with laser-based therapy: a sco** review. Arch Dermatol Res 316(1):47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-023-02779-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Reish RG, Eriksson E (2008) Scars: a review of emerging and currently available therapies. Plast Reconstr Surg 122(4):1068–1078. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0b013e318185d38f

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Nguyen TA, Feldstein SI, Shumaker PR, Krakowski AC (2015) A review of scar assessment scales. Semin Cutan Med Surg 34(1):28–36. https://doi.org/10.12788/j.sder.2015.0125

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Lipman K, Wang M, Berthiaume E et al (2020) Evaluating current scar assessment methods. Ann Plast Surg 84(2):222–231. https://doi.org/10.1097/SAP.0000000000002029

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Chung JH, Kwon SH, Kim KJ et al (2021) Reliability of the patient and observer scar assessment scale in evaluating linear scars after thyroidectomy. Adv Skin Wound Care 34(6):1–6. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASW.0000744344.46898.6e

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Draaijers LJ, Tempelman FR, Botman YA and others (2004) The patient and observer scar assessment scale: a reliable and feasible tool for scar evaluation. Plast Reconstr Surg 113(7):1960–1965. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.prs.0000122207.28773.56

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Ashraf I, Butt E, Veitch D, Wernham A (2021) Dermatological surgery: an update on suture materials and techniques. Part 1. Clin Exp Dermatol 46(8):1400–1410. https://doi.org/10.1111/ced.14770

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Liu Z, Tang Z, Hao X et al (2021) Modified buried vertical mattress suture versus buried intradermal suture: a prospective split-scar study. Dermatol Surg 47(3):e75–e80. https://doi.org/10.1097/DSS.0000000000002642

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Pai D, Shenoy R, Chetan K (2018) Comparison of non-absorbable (polypropylene) versus delayed absorbable (polydioxanone) suture material for abdominal wound closure after laparotomy. Int Surg J 5(5):1690–1696. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-2902.isj20181404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Dragovic M, Pejovic M, Stepic J et al (2020) Comparison of four different suture materials in respect to oral wound healing, microbial colonization, tissue reaction, and clinical features-randomized clinical study. Clin Oral Investig 24(4):1527–1541. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-019-03034-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Boone SS, Hernandez SM, Camus AC and others (2013) Evaluation of four suture materials for surgical incision closure in Siberian sturgeon. Trans Am Fish Soc 142(3):649–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2013.763857

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Byrne M, Aly A (2019) The surgical suture. Aesthet Surg J 39(2):67–872. https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjz036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ita M, Koh K, Butt A et al (2018) Evaluation of the effect of the accordion suturing technique on wound lengths in breast cancer surgery: a randomised clinical trial. Ir J Med Sci 187(4):901–906. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-018-1772-7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Erol O, Buyuklu F, Koycu A et al (2020) Comparison of rapid absorbable sutures with nonabsorbable sutures in closing transcolumellar incision in septorhinoplasty: short-term outcomes. Aesthetic Plast Surg 44(5):1759–1765. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-020-01864-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Wade RG, Wormald JC, Figus A (2018) Absorbable versus non-absorbable sutures for skin closure after carpal tunnel decompression surgery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2(2):CD011757. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011757.pub2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Sajid MS, McFall MR, Whitehouse PA, Sains PS (2014) Systematic review of absorbable vs non-absorbable sutures used for the closure of surgical incisions. World J Gastrointest Surg 6(12):241–7. https://doi.org/10.4240/wjgs.v6.i12.241

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Rezaei E, Farhadi H, Khaniki SH et al (2021) Surgical wounds in reduction mammoplasty: a comparison of Monocryl and Prolene sutures on scars. J Wound Care 30(8):626–630. https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2021.30.8.626

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Zhang Y, Lei Z, Lin B et al (2024) Split-level folding, step-type tension-relieving suture technique, and the evaluation on scar minimization. J Cosmet Dermatol 00:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.16236

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Vanja Tatalović & Marija Marinković

  2. Medical Faculty Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Vanja Tatalović, Marija Marinković & Radmila Perić

  3. Clinic for Radiology, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Radmila Perić

  4. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Radomir Belopavlović

Authors
  1. Vanja Tatalović
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marija Marinković
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Radmila Perić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Radomir Belopavlović
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanja Tatalović.

Ethics declarations

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The Ethics Committee of the University Clinical Center of Vojvodina consented to conduct this research (approval number 08-229). Each patient received information about the study and signed a consent to participate. During this research, we respected the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

We claim that this original scientific work has never been published in its entirety or abstract form.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tatalović, V., Marinković, M., Perić, R. et al. Absorbable vs. non-absorbable suture: which one gives better results?. Ir J Med Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-024-03710-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-024-03710-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation