Barbed Sutures in Laparoscopic Myomectomy—Realistic Expectations: A Critical Review

The purpose of this review is to critically analyze the effectiveness of self-retaining barbed sutures in intracorporeal suturing in terms of tissue approximation, intraoperative blood loss, reduction in operative time, duration of hospital stay and postoperative adhesions. Materials and methods: We analyzed 9 published articles to critically look at the effectiveness of self-retaining barbed suture in laparoscopic myomectomy. A literature research was performed using internet. Discussion: Barbed suture seems to be a reasonably good option for intracorporeal suturing in laparoscopic myomectomy. The time required for intracorporeal suturing was significantly less with barbed suturing (11.5 min/9.9 min/126s) when compared to the conventional suturing (17.4 min/15.8 min/272.6s). The total operative time required with barbed sutures (118 min/51 min) was found to be significantly reduced in comparison with conventional sutures (162 min/ 58 min). The intraoperative blood loss was found to be significantly reduced in 2 of the 3 studies with the use of barbed sutures. Fall in hemoglobin and duration of hospital stay also seems to be reduced with the self-retaining sutures. Conclusion: The self-retaining barbed suture seems to be an effective option for intracorporeal suturing in laparoscopic myomectomy with numerous benefits.