Evaluation of laser tissue welding and laser-tissue soldering for mucosal and vascular repair

Abstract

Context:Laser tissue bonding (LTB) is believed to have certain advantages over conventional sutures such as fluid-tight closure and minimal scarring and fibrosis.Aim:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bond strength of laser tissue welding and laser tissue soldering in mucosal and vascular repair.Materials and Methods:A total of 85 samples of bovine oral mucosa and 85 bovine aortas were bonded using a CO2 laser and different laser powers. Human serum albumin was used as solder. The breaking load for mucosal samples and the bursting pressure for aorta samples were evaluated. Few specimens were evaluated histologically for thermal damage and other microscopic changes.Statistical Methods:Two-way ANOVA was performed as the data were normally distributed and analyzed for significant differences between the groups. This was followed by Simple Main effects (Tuckey's post hoc test) to determine the individual variation between groups and also the significant differences within the groups.Results:Significantly higher values of breaking load (44.2 ± 3.03 g) and bursting pressure (70.8 ± 12.33 mmHg) were noted when 50% albumin was used. When reinforcing sutures were given the bond strength was further increased (68.0 ± 4.0 g for breaking load) (108.0 ± 12.56 mmHg for bursting pressure). Microscopically, a bridge of solder coagulum formed across the wound. Thermal damage was restricted to the top layers only although it did extend much more laterally adjacent to the wound edges. Few areas of vacuolization and carbonization were seen.Conclusion:LTB seems to be a promising new method of wound closure and warrants further evaluation in the form of in vivo and clinical studies.

Albumin‐PEG‐Based Biomaterial for Laser‐Tissue Soldering and Its Real‐Time Monitoring With Swept‐Source Optical Coherence Tomography

“…However, the reduced penetration and nonuniform cross‐linking across the depth seemed not to affect the strength of soldering. We performed a test for measuring the breaking load of the soldered wound based on the method used by Mistry et al [19]. The bond formed using albumin‐PEG solder ruptured at a load of about 511.03 g, whereas the bond formed using albumin‐PEG solder ruptured at a load of about 362.17 g. The hybrid solder was able to withstand a greater load before rupturing.…”

“…We have used freshly harvested caprine skin for the purpose of tissue soldering. The hair was shaved off completely, rinsed with distilled water to wash off any undesired substances, and kept immersed in Ringer's lactate solution under refrigeration [19]. The thickness of the skin was measured to be around 3 mm, and it was cut into square pieces of approximately 4 cm × 4 cm dimension.…”

Model Predictive Thermal Dose Control of a Robotic Laser System to Automate Skin Photorejuvenation

“…The second category is coagulation treatment where the tissue's temperature rises to 50-100 • C in a few seconds. Examples of application include laser tissue welding and the destruction of warts and verrucas [3]- [5]. The last category is vaporisation treatment where the temperature of the tissue suddenly rises to 100 • C within one-tenth of a second.…”

Reconstruction of Soft Biological Tissues Using Laser Soldering Technology with Temperature Control and Biopolymer Nanocomposites

“…The key disadvantages of laser treatment are excessive thermal damage to tissues [ 8 ] and the poor tensile strength of the welds, inferring to traditional suture techniques using suture material [ 9 ].…”

“…The wavelength of the CO 2 laser corresponds to the absorption peak of the water. Because water is the main component of most tissues, most of the laser energy is absorbed in the outer layers of the tissue [ 9 , 20 ].…”