Tacking Sutures in Facial Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Proposal for Revised Nomenclature

Several monikers are used for tacking sutures in reconstructive skin surgery, typically reflecting either tissue fixation technique or function. The varying terminology results in a lack of clarity in the literature.

The objectives of this study were to compile a comprehensive resource that defines tacking sutures for facial reconstruction and to propose a unified system of nomenclature.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method was followed to query the archives of 5 leading journals in skin surgery and the MEDLINE database for terms used to describe tacking sutures in facial reconstruction. The search yielded 1,493 articles of which 98 relevant articles were selected for inclusion. The suture technique described in each article was categorized by name given by the authors, tissue fixation technique, and function.

Definitions for terms used to describe tacking sutures in the literature were developed based on consensus from the articles reviewed. Monikers for tacking sutures were dichotomized into descriptors of tissue fixation technique and function.

A new classification system for tacking sutures is proposed, using binomial nomenclature in which the first term describes the tissue fixation technique and the second term describes function.