A review of absorbable suture materials in head & neck surgery and introduction of monocryl: a new absorbable suture.

Absorbable sutures are used frequently in the practice of surgery yet there have been no studies in the literature that review the currently available sutures. A newly released suture was used in a series of 80 head and neck patients and the results compared to the surgeon's experience with other absorbable suture materials. The literature regarding absorbable sutures is reviewed and background information on currently available sutures is provided. The tensile strength and absorption of various materials are compared. Degree of tissue reactivity in animals is presented. Results of the evaluation of Monocryl in 80 cases suggest that it has many preferable qualities including ease of handling, low tissue reactivity, superior tensile strength, and lower cost.