Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2025
Use of a Rat Model to Study Ventral Abdominal Hernia Repair
Published on: October 2, 2017
Does the Choice of Suture Materials Affect the Vas Deferens after Hernia Ring Closure in Inguinal Hernia Surgery: An
Adrian Chi-Heng Fung1, Henry Yongqin Ye1, Tiffany Wing-See Lau2
1Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Insights
Silk sutures in laparoscopic hernia repair reduced vas deferens diameter and increased adhesion in rats, unlike polypropylene. Histological differences in inflammation or fibrosis were not significant between the two suture materials.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Innovation
- Pediatric Surgery
- Biomaterials Science
Background:
- Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is common in children.
- Monofilament polypropylene and multifilament silk are frequent suture choices.
- Concerns exist regarding multifilament sutures causing inflammatory reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of non-absorbable monofilament (polypropylene) and multifilament (silk) sutures on the vas deferens during laparoscopic hernia repair.
- To investigate potential impacts on adjacent structures, specifically the vas deferens.
Main Methods:
- Ten male Sprague Dawley rats underwent laparoscopic hernia repair using either silk (Group I) or polypropylene (Group II) sutures.
- Sham operations served as controls.
- Vas deferens segments adjacent to sutures were histologically examined after 14 days.
Main Results:
- Rats in the silk group exhibited significantly smaller vas deferens cross-sectional areas compared to the polypropylene group (0.2 vs. 0.6 mm, p=0.005).
- Silk sutures showed a trend towards increased tissue adhesion (2.8 vs. 1.8, p=0.1), but this was not statistically significant.
- No significant differences in histological fibrosis or inflammation scores were observed between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Silk sutures, compared to polypropylene, led to a reduced vas deferens diameter and increased tissue adhesion in this rat model.
- Neither suture material demonstrated significant differences in causing histological inflammation or fibrosis of the vas deferens.
Introduction:
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is a commonly performed procedure in children. Currently, monofilament polypropylene and braided silk are the two most frequently used materials. Studies have suggested more tissue inflammatory reactions with the use of multifilament non-absorbable sutures. However, little is known about the effects of suture materials on adjacent vas deferens. The aim of this experiment was to compare the effect of non-absorbable monofilament and multifilament sutures on vas deferens in laparoscopic hernia repair.
Methods:
All animal operations were performed by a single surgeon under aseptic conditions and anaesthesia. Ten male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups. In Group I, "hernia repair" was performed using 5.0 Silk. In Group II, polypropylene sutures (Prolene®; Ethicon, Somerville, N.J., USA) were used. All animals also received sham operations in the left groin as a control. After 14 days, the animals were euthanised and a segment of vas deferens just adjacent to the suture was excised for histological review by an experienced pathologist who was blind to the treatment groups of the respective specimens.
Results:
The body sizes of the rats in each group were comparable. Group I had significantly smaller vas deferens than Group II (diameter: 0.2 vs. 0.6 ± 0.2, p = 0.005). Silk sutures appeared to cause more tissue adhesion than Prolene® sutures, as graded by blind assessors (adhesion grade: 2.8 ± 1.3 vs. 1.8 ± 0.8, p = 0.1), although this did not reach statistical significance. There was no significant difference in the histological fibrosis score and inflammation score.
Conclusion:
The only effect of non-absorbable sutures on vas deferens in this rat model was the reduced cross-sectional area of vas deferens and increased tissue adhesion when using silk sutures. However, there was no significant histological difference in inflammation or fibrosis caused by either material.
