Comparison of silicon-coated nylon suture to plain nylon suture in the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model

A variety of intraluminal sutures have been used in the middle cerebral artery occlusion model (MCAO) of focal ischemia. In the present study we tested commercially available silicon-coated nylon suture in the MCAO model and compared the results to traditional monofilament nylon suture occlusion. Twelve Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided two groups, MCAO with 4-0 nylon suture (Group N, n=6) and MCAO with silicone-coated 4-0 nylon suture (Group S, n=6). Rats were sacrificed 24 h after reperfusion. Assessment included mortality rates, neurological evaluation, and infarct volume. One rat died in each group from subarachanoid hemorrhage. Neurological evaluation demonstrated that Group S tended to have worse neurological outcomes than Group N, although this difference was not statistically significant. On TTC stain Group S had significantly larger infarct volumes than Group N. We conclude that the commercially available silicone-coated occlusion suture provides better occlusion of the middle cerebral artery than the traditional uncoated nylon suture. Classification: Disease-related neuroscience (Section 6).