Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog TPLO surgery incision healing with barbed vs nylon sutures
By Mans, Colleen E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2025·1BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Incidence of dehiscence and erythema in tibial plateau leveling osteotomy incisions closed with barbed, bidirectional monoderm suture is equal to external nylon sutures.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 183 dogs that had surgery for a torn knee ligament (cranial cruciate ligament rupture) were monitored for complications after their incisions were closed with either nylon sutures or a newer type of barbed suture. The results showed that the nylon sutures had a higher rate of incision opening (dehiscence) at two weeks post-surgery compared to the barbed sutures, which also had less redness (erythema) around the incision. Both types of sutures were effective, but the barbed sutures may offer a lower risk of complications. This suggests that using barbed sutures for closing these surgical incisions is a good option.
People also search for: dog knee surgery recovery · TPLO incision care · dog surgery suture types
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and complication rate of nylon suture in an interrupted cruciate pattern versus barbed knotless monoderm suture for closure of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) incisions. METHODS: 183 client-owned dogs (189 incisions) underwent TPLO surgery for cranial cruciate ligament rupture between September 2022 and July 2023. A prospective clinical trial compared TPLO incision closure with the use of external nylon sutures (n = 89) and intradermal, barbed monoderm suture (100). Incisions were monitored over an 8-week recovery period for evidence of complications. RESULTS: Univariable analysis identified that the rate of dehiscence at 2 weeks postoperatively in the nylon group was 22% (95% CI, 15% to 32%) compared to 11% (95% CI, 6% to 19%) in the barbed suture group. The risk of dehiscence at 2 weeks postoperatively was 2.0 times (relative risk 95% CI, 1.0 to 4.0) greater when nylon was used compared to barbed suture. Incisions closed with barbed suture had less erythema. There was no difference in the odds of dehiscence between groups when analyses were adjusted for surgeon (OR 95% CI, 0.3 to 2.7). The proximal third of the incision was the most likely location for dehiscence to occur in TPLO incisions. CONCLUSIONS: Barbed bidirectional suture can be used to close TPLO incisions with a similar dehiscence rate compared to nylon. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Barbed suture for closure of TPLO incisions is acceptable and comparable to external nylon sutures. Extra care should be taken when suturing the most proximal aspect of TPLO incisions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40367980/