title: Absorbable and nonabsorbable buried sutures for primary cleft lip repair.
abstract: Absorbable and nonabsorbable buried sutures were studied in primary cleft lip repair. Group 1 (N = 56) consisted of patients repaired with buried nonabsorbable material (monofilament nylon). Group 2 (N = 47) consisted of patients repaired with absorbable materials (polyglyconate, polydioxanone). All patients were monitored for 12 months. There were stitch abscesses in Group 1 (14%). There were no abscesses in Group 2. This difference was significant (p = 0.007). Abscesses were located in the suture line with no identifiable distribution. There was no significant difference in the cosmetic appearance of the scars in Groups 1 and 2. These results support the view that absorbable sutures are preferable to nonabsorbable sutures for primary cleft lip repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D009757:Nylons; D016687:Polydioxanone; D011108:Polymers; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013537:Sutures
chemical_list: D009757:Nylons; D011108:Polymers; D016687:Polydioxanone; C046409:polyglyconate