Absorbable suture material in carotid surgery

Background: Absorbable sutures are not generally accepted by most vascular surgeons for the fear of breakage of the suture line and the risk of aneurysmal formation, except in cases of paediatric surgery or in case of infections. Aim of this study is to provide evidence of safety and efficacy of the use of absorbable suture materials in carotid surgery. Patients and methods: In an 11 year period, 1126 patients (659 male [58.5 %], 467 female [41.5 %], median age 72) underwent carotid endarterectomy for carotid stenosis by either conventional with primary closure (cCEA) or eversion (eCEA) techniques. Patients were randomised into two groups according to the type of suture material used. In Group A, absorbable suture material (polyglycolic acid) was used and in Group B non-absorbable suture material (polypropylene) was used. Primary end-point was to compare severe restenosis and aneurysmal formation rates between the two groups of patients. For statistical analysis only cases with a minimum period of follow-up of 12 months were considered. Results: A total of 868 surgical procedures were considered for data analysis. Median follow-up was 6 years (range 1-10 years). The rate of postoperative complications was better for group A for both cCEA and eCEA procedures: 3.5 % and 2.0 % for group A, respectively, and 11.8 % and 12.9 % for group B, respectively. Conclusions: In carotid surgery, the use of absorbable suture material seems to be safe and effective and with a general lower complications rate compared to the use of non-absorbable materials.