The problem is that your body might not be absorbing the "absorbable" sutures. Instead, your body might be reacting to the sutures as it would to a foreign body, rejecting them. A side effect of rejecting the sutures includes problems like tunneling, granules, and infection.One of the reasons Panacryl absorbable sutures were used was because they were meant to be absorbed by the body, meaning that additional surgery would not be required to physically remove them from patients. They were also considered superior because of their strength; the sutures were used in surgeries in which the patient needed support for up to six months. However, Ethicon, makers of the Panacryl sutures, warned that they might not dissolve for between 1.5 and 2.5 years.
Panacryl sutures were used for lower abdominal soft tissue and gynecologic surgery. In some cases, patients were required to undergo additional surgeries to remove infected sutures.
Many women have come forward, alleging severe abdominal pain after Panacryl sutures were used in their surgeries. Some of the women suffered from serious abdominal infections because of the surgeries. At least one woman experienced erosion of her suture through her vaginal epithelium. In that case, the patient also experienced vaginal drainage.
Even if your surgery was over a year ago, you may still be at risk for developing an infection. In some cases, patients did not suffer symptoms of an infection until over a year had passed since surgery. One report says that serious side effects may not occur until up to two years after surgery.