[Behavior of resorbable and nonresorbable suture material in lymph vessel suture].

After transverse division of the abdominal thoracic duct of the rat, 14 anastomoses were performed using synthetic absorbable (Polyglactin 910, Vicryl) and synthetic non-absorbable (Polyamid 6.6, Ethilon) suture material. The anastomoses were achieved by means of a tension-free technique using interrupted sutures. The follow-up period was from 28 to 133 days. Clinical observation showed that all anastomoses were patent. However, with the aid of staining methods only five out of seven anastomoses were shown to be patent. Using absorbable suture material, a lumen was demonstrable at all anastomoses, while using non-absorbable suture material this could be proved in only four out of seven anastomoses. The foreign body reaction diminished with time when absorbable material was employed, whereas it persisted with non-absorbable material.