Clinical and experimental studies with a resorbable transosseous ligature.

Transosseous wire ligatures are used to oppose bone fragments during healing. Thereafter, such ligatures serve no function, and either remain permanently in the tissues or are removed by a second surgical procedure. This paper reports clinical and experimental studies with polydioxanone (PDS--Ethicon Ltd.), on the basis of which it is introduced as an alternative to stainless steel wire in some cases of transosseous fixation.