A prospective evaluation of Medizip in Nigeria

In a one year period between April, 1997 and March 1998 we have carried out a randomized controlled prospective study to evaluate the outcome of Medizip Surgical Zipper technique in closing 50 surgical wounds in Nigeria. There were similar sex, age and wound distribution between the Medizip study group and the conventional (needle and thread) control group. The cosmetic outcome of scar was rated as good or bad. It was good if the emerging scar was a thin linear (< or = 2 mm wide) scar, and bad if the scar was a broad flat (> 2 mm wide) or a heap-up (hypertrophic or keloidal) scar. The cosmetic outcome of scar was good in 45 (90%) of the Medizip study group as compared with 22 (44%) of the conventional control group. The observed difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). We observed superficial wound infection in one (2%) of the Medizip study group as compared with 10 (20%) of the conventional control group. The results of our study clearly demonstrated that the use of Medizip surgical Zipper would be a superior technique of closing surgical wounds in terms of the cosmetic outcome of scars and associated problems.