Arthroscopy wounds: to suture or not to suture

The arthroscopic wounds of 100 Caucasian patients were either sutured or simply bandaged on a random basis. The patients were reviewed after 2 and 12 weeks to ascertain the outcome of the two techniques. Suturing an arthroscopic wound resulted in an increased incidence of hematomas and superficial abscesses. A sutureless technique probably favors early hematoma draining, thus removing a potential cause of infection.