Abstract
Objective: To report our experience of abdominal wall closure using a running mass suture of looped #1 polydioxanone in a high-risk patient group and reviewing the current literature. Methods: Between August 1999 and March 2002, 149 patients undergoing major gynecological surgery by the gynecology oncology service had abdominal wall closure with a single No. 1 looped polydioxanone II suture. Running mass closure with linearly (equally) spaced bites was performed on all patients. A single knot was used to secure the suture. The study population was considered high-risk because most patients had a gynecological cancer or were obese. Results: One fascial dehiscence with evisceration occurred in the study group. This patient coughed uncontrollably after undergoing a postoperative cardiac catheterization. The suture was intact but the tissue was torn along the entire length of the wound. Two incisional hernias were found in the study group with a follow-up of 6-36 months. Conclusion: Our case series reconfirms the superiority of the looped polydioxanone mass closure in a high-risk population. Our findings are similar to other authors' results.
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