INCREASED GRANULOMA FORMATION FROM ABSORBABLE SUTURES.

Abstract

DURING the past 18 months it has become apparent from our own observations and from discussions with other ophthalmologists and general surgeons that suture reactions of delayed and prolonged granuloma formation after the use of catgut suture material have increased alarmingly. It is distressing to both patient and surgeon to be confronted with unsightly and uncomfortable granuloma formations after apparently successful and uncomplicated surgery (Fig 1). These reactions have been noted in cataract surgery and plastic procedures but have been most obvious in muscle surgery. We were thus led to a review of the literature, 1-7 which failed to reveal significant reference to granuloma formation in either ophthalmologic or general surgery. It is the purpose of this paper to raise questions which may be solved with further inquiry and to offer a possible solution. Clinical Observations When increasing granuloma formation was first observed in strabismus surgery, an attempt was made