A mechanical study of ligature security of commercially available pre-tied ligatures versus hand tied ligatures for use in equine laparoscopy.

Objective: To determine a hand-tied ligature knot configuration, suture size, and suture type that would be an acceptable substitute to commercially available ligature knots for use in equine laparoscopic surgery.

Study Design: Three-factor ANOVA with the fixed effects being suture type, suture size, and knot type. The dependent variable was ligature security (load to failure).