Preclinical Evaluation of Tissue Anchoring Performance of PDO Barbed Sutures : Mechanical Testing and Finite Element Analysis Based on Barb Shape and Angle Design

Barbed polydioxanone (PDO) sutures are widely used in soft-tissue approximation; however, integrated preclinical evidence describing how barb shape- and angle-design variables, including cut angle, depth, spacing, and arrangement pattern, influence anchoring behavior remains limited. This study evaluated the structure–function relationship of a Dual-Cobra PDO barbed suture (VSORB) using integrated experimental and computational analyses. Mechanical performance was assessed by tensile testing, ex vivo porcine tissue anchoring and load-to-failure assays, surrogate pull-out comparisons, hydrolytic strength retention under phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, 37 °C), and three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA). VSORB demonstrated higher mean load and greater anchoring tendencies under identical conditions, with a barb-design-dependent pattern (Cobra > Mold > Mono). FEA indicated broader stress distribution with reduced peak stress concentration for the Dual-Cobra configuration. These findings suggest that barb shape- and angle-design variables influence anchoring mechanics in PDO barbed sutures; however, no clinical superiority can be inferred without further in vivo and clinical investigations.