Comparison of barbed and conventional sutures in adhesion formation and histological features in a rat myomectomy model: randomized single blind controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the adhesion and histologic scoring of barbed and standard suture material after incision and serosal closure of both uterine horns for myomectomy model in rats.

Study Design: In this single blind randomized controlled trial, one cm incisions were performed on the right and left uterine horns of ten non-pregnant rats, and these incisions were randomly allocated for closure by a suture material with either polyglyconate (V-Loc™) or polyglactin-910 (Vicryl(®)). Each rat served as its own control. Six weeks after the operation, the abdomen was re-opened and the abdominal and surgical sites were evaluated by a researcher blinded to the side of the suture materials in the first operation. Adhesions were scored according to their severity, and specimens were also evaluated and scored histologically according to the following features: collagen deposition and inflammatory reaction.

Results: The median macroscopic adhesion scores in the barbed and standard suture group were 3.5 and 2, respectively (p=.008). There was significant difference between the barbed and standard suture group with regard to the median inflammatory cell scores for macrophages-foreign body giant cell (1 vs. 3, respectively, p=.01) and mononuclear cell (2 vs. 3, respectively, p=.04).

Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, we suggest that in the rat model, the type of the suture used for myometrial closure has an effect on subsequent adhesion formation, and this adverse outcome was more frequently observed with the barbed suture.