Evaluation of absorbable suture materials in biliary tract surgery.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Materials Science
• Gastrointestinal Surgery

Background:

• Digestive fluids can significantly impact the integrity of absorbable suture materials.
• Choosing appropriate suture materials is critical for successful surgical outcomes, especially in the gastrointestinal tract.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comparatively evaluate the tensile strength retention and tissue reaction of absorbable suture materials in digestive fluids.
• To inform surgical choices for biliary tract procedures based on material performance.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of plain catgut, chromic catgut, Dexon, and Vicryl.
• Testing suture tensile strength in bile, gastric juice, and pancreatic juice at 37°C.
• Assessing tissue reaction to the tested suture materials.

Main Results:

• Plain and chromic catgut lost substantial tensile strength within days in digestive fluids, with complete dissolution in gastric juice.
• Dexon and Vicryl demonstrated superior tensile strength retention in bile compared to catgut.
• Dexon and Vicryl exhibited minimal tissue reaction, unlike the significant reaction observed with catgut.

Conclusions:

• Catgut sutures are unsuitable for biliary tract surgery due to rapid degradation and significant tissue reaction.
• Dexon and Vicryl are recommended as superior absorbable suture alternatives for biliary tract procedures.
• Surgeons should reconsider suture material selection for biliary tract surgery based on these findings.