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Effect of helium‐neon and infrared laser irradiation on wound healing in rabbits
Author(s) -
Braverman Berton,
McCarthy Robert J.,
Ivankovich Anthony D.,
Forde Da E.,
Overfield Michael,
Bapna Mahapna S.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.1900090111
Subject(s) - ultimate tensile strength , wound healing , irradiation , laser , dorsum , lesion , materials science , histology , biomedical engineering , infrared , medicine , nuclear medicine , anatomy , surgery , pathology , composite material , optics , physics , nuclear physics
We examined the biostimulating effects of helium‐neon laser radiation (HeNe; 632.8 nm), pulsed infrared laser radiation (IR; 904 nm), and the two combined on skin wound healing in New Zealand white rabbits. Seventy‐two rabbits received either (1) no exposure, (2) 1.65 J/cm 2 HeNe, (3) 8.25 J/cm 2 pulsed IR, or (4) both HeNe and IR together to one of two dorsal full‐thickness skin wounds, daily, for 21 days. Wound areas were measured photographically at periodic intervals. Tissue samples were analyzed for tensile strength, and histology was done to measure epidermal thickness and cross‐sectional collagen area. Significant differences were found in the tensile strength of all laser‐treated groups (both the irradiated and nonirradiated lesion) compared to group 1. No differences were found in the rate of wound healing or collagen area. Epidermal growth was greater in the HeNe‐lased area compared to unexposed tissue, but the difference was not significant. Thus, laser irradiation at 632.8 nm and 904 nm alone or in combination increased tensile strength during wound healing and may have released tissue factors into the systemic circulation that increased tensile strength on the opposite side as well.