Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Cross-Sectional Area and Strength Differences of Fiberwire, Prolene, and Ticron Sutures.

Scherman, Peter LU ; Haddad, Roger ; Scougall, Peter and Walsh, William R (2010) In The Journal of Hand Surgery 35A. p.780-784
Abstract
PURPOSE: Flexor tendons should be repaired with suture material strong enough to permit early motion and small enough for the resulting knot to allow unimpeded tendon glide and healing. This study sought to define differences in cross-sectional area and knotted tensile strength among Fiberwire, Prolene, and Ticron sutures. METHODS: Five strands, each of 3-0 and 4-0 Prolene, Ticron, and Fiberwire sutures, were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate and sectioned in a linear precision saw to obtain 10 cross-sections of each material and size. These were examined by scanning electron microscopy and digitally analyzed for cross-sectional areas. Ten strands of each suture material and size had a single throw knot placed, and they were loaded to... (More)
PURPOSE: Flexor tendons should be repaired with suture material strong enough to permit early motion and small enough for the resulting knot to allow unimpeded tendon glide and healing. This study sought to define differences in cross-sectional area and knotted tensile strength among Fiberwire, Prolene, and Ticron sutures. METHODS: Five strands, each of 3-0 and 4-0 Prolene, Ticron, and Fiberwire sutures, were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate and sectioned in a linear precision saw to obtain 10 cross-sections of each material and size. These were examined by scanning electron microscopy and digitally analyzed for cross-sectional areas. Ten strands of each suture material and size had a single throw knot placed, and they were loaded to failure in a micromechanical tester. RESULTS: Prolene and Ticron cross-sections were circular. Fiberwire was noncircular. The 3-0 Fiberwire sutures had greater cross-sectional area than the 3-0 Ticron sutures (p < .001), which in turn were larger than 3-0 Prolene (p < .05). The 4-0 Fiberwire cross-sectional area was also greater than that of 3-0 Ticron and Prolene (p < .05). After relating knotted tensile strength to cross-sectional area, Fiberwire was 10% stronger than Prolene, and 25% stronger than Ticron. CONCLUSIONS: Fiberwire is not only stronger, but also larger than other sutures in the same or even higher suture size category. Failure to meet the United States Pharmacopeia standards for suture diameter is declared in the product information sheet, although surgeons may not be aware of these size variations. Suture size definitions are currently based on diameter, a consistent measure for circular monofilament sutures, but not for braided or noncircular sutures. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
The Journal of Hand Surgery
volume
35A
pages
780 - 784
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000277367100013
  • pmid:20378276
  • scopus:77951652293
ISSN
1531-6564
DOI
10.1016/j.jhsa.2010.02.005
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Reconstructive Surgery (013240300)
id
944b9d4f-cdce-4cfc-b677-193b123df0c6 (old id 1595452)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378276?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:09:01
date last changed
2022-01-29 08:28:16
@article{944b9d4f-cdce-4cfc-b677-193b123df0c6,
  abstract     = {{PURPOSE: Flexor tendons should be repaired with suture material strong enough to permit early motion and small enough for the resulting knot to allow unimpeded tendon glide and healing. This study sought to define differences in cross-sectional area and knotted tensile strength among Fiberwire, Prolene, and Ticron sutures. METHODS: Five strands, each of 3-0 and 4-0 Prolene, Ticron, and Fiberwire sutures, were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate and sectioned in a linear precision saw to obtain 10 cross-sections of each material and size. These were examined by scanning electron microscopy and digitally analyzed for cross-sectional areas. Ten strands of each suture material and size had a single throw knot placed, and they were loaded to failure in a micromechanical tester. RESULTS: Prolene and Ticron cross-sections were circular. Fiberwire was noncircular. The 3-0 Fiberwire sutures had greater cross-sectional area than the 3-0 Ticron sutures (p &lt; .001), which in turn were larger than 3-0 Prolene (p &lt; .05). The 4-0 Fiberwire cross-sectional area was also greater than that of 3-0 Ticron and Prolene (p &lt; .05). After relating knotted tensile strength to cross-sectional area, Fiberwire was 10% stronger than Prolene, and 25% stronger than Ticron. CONCLUSIONS: Fiberwire is not only stronger, but also larger than other sutures in the same or even higher suture size category. Failure to meet the United States Pharmacopeia standards for suture diameter is declared in the product information sheet, although surgeons may not be aware of these size variations. Suture size definitions are currently based on diameter, a consistent measure for circular monofilament sutures, but not for braided or noncircular sutures.}},
  author       = {{Scherman, Peter and Haddad, Roger and Scougall, Peter and Walsh, William R}},
  issn         = {{1531-6564}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{780--784}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{The Journal of Hand Surgery}},
  title        = {{Cross-Sectional Area and Strength Differences of Fiberwire, Prolene, and Ticron Sutures.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsa.2010.02.005}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jhsa.2010.02.005}},
  volume       = {{35A}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}