Continuous alternating simple and horizontal mattress suture “a.m. Gentofte”

By Mathias Mejdahl, MD, PhD, Peter Stemann Andersen, MD, and Stig-Frederik Kølle, MD, PhD

 

This suture is usually used if the tension is too large for the continuous intracuticular suture. It is good at providing some eversion of the skin edges without creating as much eversion as with the continuous horizontal mattress suture.  Also, the distribution of the wound edges is easier to control than with a normal continuous “over and over” suture. The drawback is that the distinct pattern the suture creates is sometimes visible, especially if there has been a lot of scar tension. 

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The video presents an iatrogenic wound due to a surgical excisionThe wound is located at the back, with the wound axis placed in the direction parallel to Langer’s lines. It has already been sutured with inverted dermal sutures to minimize wound tension and dead space. A 3-0 nylon suture is being used.