Ocular Tissue Fluids and Nylon, Virgin Silk, and Collagen Sutures

Abstract

Nylon, silk, and chromic collagen sutures were evaluated for decline in tensile strength after storage in cornea, anterior chamber, and subconjunctival space. The tensile strength of 10-0 monofilament nylon deteriorated very little after four weeks in either subconjunctiva, corneal stroma, or anterior chamber. The tensile strength of 9-0 virgin silk approximated that of 10-0 nylon in all three tissues for the first week and thereafter declined significantly. Chromic collagen retained greater tensile strength (8-0) in corneal stroma than in aqueous humor or subconjunctival fluid for two weeks but thereafter declined rapidly in all three. Nylon sutures appear to offer more uniform wound support than silk or collagen in all three sites.