The effect of 10-0 running nylon versus 8-0 silk on the healing of corneal gragts.

A previously reported well standardized tensile strength model in rabbits was sued in order to answer whether or not monofilament nylon does in fact delay corneal wound healing in general, and in particular, in corneal grafts. The tensile strength of penetrating keratoplasty wounds closed with either 10-0 running monofilament nylon or 8-0 interrupted black silk was measured in rabbits. The tensile strength of wounds closed with either suture was comparable in all groups. The advantages of 10-0 nylon in corneal transplantation and cataract extraction was presented. In addition, the assumption that the tensile strength of linear central wounds parallels that of a circular trephine wound was proven to be correct.