European Pharmacopoeia Print

 

The publication of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) resulted in a standardization of the classification of threads and gauges of surgical suture material. The Ph. Eur. specifies a decimal classification and metric coding for the gauges. It quotes a thread diameter of 1/10 mm, so that the thread gauge of 3.5 has a diameter of 0,35 mm. The following table of the gauges gives a comparison of the metric and the USP gauge coding.

 

EP / Metric USP Ø (mm)

Ø (mm)

Absorbable monofilaments

0,2

 10-0 0,020-0,029 -
0,3 9-0 0,030-0,039 -
0,4 8-0 0,040-0,049 -
0,5 7-0 0,050-0,069 0,050-0,094
0,7 6-0 0,070-0,099 0,095-0,149
1 5-0 0,100-0,149 0,150-0,199
1,5 4-0 0,150-0,199 0,200-0,249
2 3-0 0,200-0,249 0,250-0,339
2,5 - 0,250-0,299 -
3 2-0 0,300-0,349 0,340-0,399
3,5 0 0,350-0,399 0,400-0,499
4 1 0,400-0,499 0,500-0,570
5 2 0,500-0,599 0,571-0,610
6 3+4 0,600-0,699 -
7 5 0,700-0,799 -
8 6 0,800-0,899 -
0,100-0,149