Railroad-track scarring is a potential complication of which stitch?

• A. Simple interrupted
• B. Vertical mattress
• C. Subcuticular running
• D. Half-buried mattress

Answer: (A)

Railroad-track scarring shows up as two parallel raised lines along the wound after healing. This pattern is most closely linked to the vertical mattress stitch because it intentionally everts the skin and uses both a deep bite and a superficial bite. The combination of tissue eversion and the way the suture crosses the skin creates two distinct tracks as the scar matures, especially when closure is under tension. Simple interrupted closures tend to produce a more straightforward linear scar, subcuticular running is placed beneath the surface for a cosmetic closure, and half-buried mattress, while it can have buried elements, does not characteristically form the paired track pattern as reliably as the vertical mattress.