Comparative functional study of Dexon and nylon microsutures in rat uterine anastomoses

Forty-two female Wistar rats were used in a long-term study designed to evaluate the functional sequelae of employing 10-0 Dexon "S" and nylon microsutures in uterine anastomoses. Functional criteria used were the number of fetuses and live births, during and after pregnancy, respectively. Results indicate that the rats from both control and experimental groups were likely to have identical litter sizes for the first 3 deliveries (P greater than 0.01). An unexplained observation was the finding of a larger litter size for the experimental group rats at the fourth delivery as compared to its control counterpart (P less than 0.01). Also explicit is the propensity for the right uterine horn to bear a larger number of fetuses than its counterpart (P less than 0.01). Finally, neither suture was associated with a larger number of fetuses (P greater than 0.01). It was concluded that 1) uterine anastomosis did not prove detrimental to the functional outcome, 2) none of the sutures proved functionally superior, and 3) nylon was more likely to be associated with foreign body and inflammatory responses.