Relationship between the suture materials used in extensor tendon injuries and reoperations

Abstract

The aim of our study was to compare the absorbable and non-absorbable suture materials used in hand extensor tendon repairs in terms of reoperations related to suture reaction-irritation. Materials and Methods: Patients who admitted to our institute with extensor tendon injury of the hand and underwent surgical repair were evaluated retrospectively. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into two groups according to the suture materials as absorbable suture (AS) (polydioxanone) group and non-absorbable suture (NAS) (polypropylene) group. Age, gender, side, and necessity of suture reaction related surgery were compared between groups. Repaired tendons and injury levels were enrolled for both groups. Cases with reoperation due to the suture reactions were assessed. Results: There were 250 tendons of 172 patients met the inclusion criteria. One hundred and three (59.9%) patients were in NAS group and 69 (40.1%) were in AS group. Distribution of age, gender, and side were similar in both groups. There were 31 cases required suture related reoperation during follow-up. 29 (93.5 %) patients were in NAS group and 2 (%6.5) were in AS group. %74.2 of the cases were seen at zone 5 and 6 level, and frequently after the repair of extensor tendons of 2 nd and 3 rd digits. Conclusion:We have found that NAS (polypropylene) suture use for extensor tendon repair increased the suture related reoperation risk. Hence, we thought that AS use for extensor tendon repair can be more appropriate since the soft tissue coverage is relatively weaker than the flexor site.