Scientifically, what does "5-0 diameter" mean?

Question

I am reading a scientific paper and it has the following sentence:

"It is marketed to replace sutures that are 5-0 or smaller in diameter for incisional or laceration repair."

What does 5-0 mean in terms of length/diameter?

Thanks ahead of time!

Answer 1

Some scientific journals (especially ones published in Europe) use a "-" instead of a "."  

It seems like they are saying "are 5.0 or smaller in diameter."

It depends of what they are talking about, but I would guess that the unit is in centimeters.  They must state the units in a previous sentence.