title: A new type of absorbable barbed suture for use in laparoscopic myomectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare effectiveness, feasibility, and suturing time required between an absorbable barbed wire (V-Loc) uterine suture and a classic continuous suture with intracorporeal knots among women undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2010 to February 2011, women with single symptomatic intramural myoma were prospectively enrolled in a single-center study at a university hospital in Rome, Italy. A control group with characteristics meeting the criteria for study inclusion was retrospectively identified from the hospital databases. In the prospective group uterine wall defects were closed with V-Loc suture, whereas in the control group they were closed by classical continuous suture with intracorporeal knots. Data were analyzed via Student t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher exact test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean operative time was shorter in the V-Loc (51±18.1 min) than in the control (58±17.8 min) group. Suturing time was significantly lower in the V-Loc than in the control (9.9±4.3 versus 15.8±4.7 min; P=0.0004) group. Both intraoperative bleeding and drop in hemoglobin were significantly lower in the V-Loc group (P=0.0076 and P=0.0176, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of a barbed suture may aid surgeons during laparoscopic suturing by reducing operative time, suturing time, and blood loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Campus Bio Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Angioli
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Plotti
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montera
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Damiani
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Terranova
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oronzi
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luvero
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scaletta
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Muzii
authors.forename: Pierluigi B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Panici
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D001810:Blood Volume; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000601:surgery*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013537:Sutures; D013997:Time Factors; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins