The in vivo and in vitro degradation of poly(glycolic acid) suture material as a function of applied strain.

The in vivo and in vitro stability of a degradable suture material, poly(glycolic acid) has been shown to be dependent on the magnitude of a pre-imposed strain. The degradation, monitored by changes in the tensile load at break, was considerably enhanced by pre-straining the material to one half of the normal extension at break, using a novel implantable device.