Abstract:

Suture was a traditional method for tissue repair. However, sutures used in the closure of surgical wounds can induce inflammation and lead to scarring that appears as crosshatch marks. Threads used for sutures may cause immune response and surgical infection. In this review, we introduce a novel sutureless technique for wound repair, called photochemical tissue bonding (PTB). Absorption of visible light by a photosensitizing dye initiates photochemical reactions leading to covalent protein-protein crosslinks that bridge the wound surfaces, thus producing an immediate seal between the wound surfaces. This technique has been applied in various tissues including skin, cornea, nerve, blood vessels, et al. PTB reduces inflammation resulting in less scarring in skin. PTB dramatically improves the incidences of vascular anastomotic leakage and stricture. In addition, PTB enhances the recovery of nerve function after nerve repair.

Key words: photochemical tissue bonding, skin tissue repair, cornea repair, vascular repair, nerve repair