A standardized investigation to compare the biophysical characteristics of two sodium hyaluronate products, AMVISC and Healon, was conducted. Results showed that the two products exhibited similar biophysical properties. AMVISC exhibited an average kinematic viscosity of 41,554 centistokes and a calculated average molecular weight of 2.04 X 10(6) daltons. Healon exhibited an average kinematic viscosity of 47,271 centistokes and a calculated average molecular weight of 2.43 X 10(6) daltons.

Hyaluronic acid is a high molecular weight, linear polysaccharide composed of repeating subunits of glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. The structure is shown in figure 1. In vertebrates, the polymer is widely distributed through all connective tissue and has been implicated in cell-cell interaction, cell matrix adhesion, cell mobility and extracellular matrix organization (1,2). NaHA is an important tissue lubricant (3,4) and has been shown to exert a facilitating influence on wound repair (5).

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