Histopathologic comparison of chromic catgut suture materials from Iran and abroad

Background and The chromic catgut sutures are the most common suture materials in surgical operations. The purpose of this in-vivo study was to evaluate the histopathological inflammatory reaction incited by four different kinds of catgut suture materials. Twenty five adult New Zealand White rabbits, weighing approximately 2-3 kg, were divided into 5 groups of 5 rabbits in each group. Four types of catgut sutures were implanted in the dorsum and thigh muscles. After 2, 7, 14, 21 and 60 days, the animals were sacrificed and the sutures, subcutaneous and muscle tissues were removed from the implanted areas. Statistical analysis for comparison of each two suture materials showed significant differences between groups (p<0.05) while ETHICON suture showed minimum inflammatory reaction and was considered the best. Uncontrolled raw materials of the catgut suture from the intestine of particular animals may cause a variety of pathological effects beyond the threshold set for medical surgery.