Comparison of Scar Results and Time for Closures of Scalp Defects Via Pulley Sutures or Layered Repairs

A Prospective, Randomized Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Pulley Closures Compared to Intermediate or Complex Closures for Reconstruction of Scalp Surgical Defects

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02744950

Enrollment

Registered

2016-04-20

Start date

2013-11-30

Completion date

2015-05-31

Last updated

2016-04-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Scar

Keywords

pulley, scalp defects

Brief summary

Surgical defects on the scalp require closure via various techniques of suture placement. A traditional technique requires both dermal (deep) and epidermal (superficial) placement of sutures to close the defect; this is referred to as intermediate or complex linear repair. However, the scalp is a location with high tension, and thus the closures take an hour or longer to perform. A type of suture placement referred to as the pulley stitch requires placement of a few stitches along the defect. The pulley stitch can be used in areas of high tension to close a large defect. The purpose of this study is to compare the scar results and time taken to perform scalp closures via only pulley stitches or via intermediate/complex linear repairs. To my knowledge, no such study has been performed to compare the two techniques. Such a study would be useful in demonstrating comparable scar appearance and reduce the time to perform scalp closures.

Interventions

PROCEDUREPulley stitches

PROCEDUREIntermediate Repair

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Age greater than 18 years 2. Ability to understand risks, benefits, and alternatives to the study and to be able to give an informed consent 3. Lesions such as skin cancer or benign lesions on the scalp amenable to surgical excision or to MOHS surgical technique 4. Frontal scalp defects defined as frontal hair line to crown of scalp 5. Scalp defect size of 2cm - 8 cm

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients who tend to form keloids or hypertrophic scars 2. Patients with a history of scleroderma or morphea 3. Pregnant or breast-feeding females 4. Patients whose surgical defects require flap closures

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Time to close wound	Depends on case typically 4-10 minutes	Time it takes to close the defect in each arm; measured in minutes

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026