Growth of tracheal sutures with absorbable sutures in primates.

Postoperative wound healing is studied after tracheal suturing in 5 primates operated on in two stages. First by double level hemisection comparing continuous and interrupted sutures with polydioxanone. In a second stage: comparison of continuous sutures after tracheal segmental resection. The tracheas were harvested sequentially to study the evolution of the sutured zone by measuring its diameter and by histopathologic examination. The reduction of the tracheal diameter observed was not statistically significant after hemisection using continuous (p = 0.7) or interrupted sutures (p = 0.6). But after tracheal resection the stenosis was significant with continuous sutures (p < 0.05). Histologic study revealed that polydioxanone is well tolerated and is absorbed within 26 weeks. The authors recommend the use of continuous sutures to repair simple wounds and of interrupted sutures after tracheal resection anastomosis.