Knot integrity of coated synthetic absorbable sutures used for extraocular muscle surgery in a rabbit model

Knot integrity of a new coated polyglycolic acid suture (Dexon Plus) was compared to that using uncoated polyglycolic acid (Dexon-S) and coated polyglactin-910 (Vicryl) for extraocular muscle recessions in rabbits. Knot integrity was found to be virtually identical using 6-0 sutures of any of these materials. Top throws of 5-0 coated Dexon or 5-0 coated Vicryl had a tendency to loosen in a few cases, though this was eliminated in later operations by more careful tightening of knots and avoidance of cutting suture ends to a length less than 2 mm. Subjectively observed differences in "tissue drag" were insignificant in this model.