Mersilene sutures for corneal surgery.

We studied the complications resulting from using running Mersilene suture in 14 patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty for keratoconus. 11-0 Mersilene running suture and 12 interrupted 10-0 nylon stitches were used in each procedure and the patients were followed for 22 to 48 months. None of the Mersilene sutures broke, but four were removed in two patients: in one, due to astigmatism or loosening of the suture as a result of sterile ulceration, and in the other, due to herpetic keratitis. Marked scarring manifested along the loops of the sutures in 11 of the Mersilene sutures. Despite these problems, we conclude that the use of Mersilene sutures, alone or combined with nylon sutures, in penetrating keratoplasty is sufficiently advantageous to warrant further study.