Healing of Incisions in the Tongue: A Comparison of Results with Milliwatt Carbon Dioxide Laser Tissue Welding versus Suture Repair

Abstract

The healing of carbon dioxide laser weld closures produced by two commercial instruments of differing design were compared. Healing after laser welding was also compared to healing following conventional suture closure. Healing was evaluated histologically and by measurement of tensile strength over time. No histologic differences were found between closures produced by different lasers; however, in all cases suture closure resulted in slower healing times consistent with a foreign body reaction prolonging the healing process. Tensile strength measurements were performed at intervals over the first 21 days after the operation. Laser repair was found to be equivalent to or stronger than suture repair at every interval measured. The clinical use of the carbon dioxide laser for tissue welding of oral injuries should be investigated further, since it appears to be a good alternative to suture repair.

Quantitative Evaluation of Intact Peripheral Nerve Structures after Utilization of CO2Laser, Electrocautery, and Scalpel

“…This is not in agreement with the results of the present investigation. The present study does, however, support the results of a previous investigation, 48 which was unable to find histological proof of these hypotheses. The results of this study indicate that it is unlikely that analgesia reported in the literature after the use of the CO 2 laser is justified by the immediate destruction of nerve structures.…”

The Dysplastic Nevus, the True Myth

“…The higher MPS pain scores in group S and the low MPS pain scores in group L at T1 are in line with some studies indicating that patients undergoing CO2 laser incisions experience a reduction in post-surgical pain. This might be a result of the laser's thermal properties, which provide a vaporization effect as it cuts tissues and promotes the carbonization of sensory nerve endings [46,47,48,49,50,51]. We viewed the higher MPS pain scores at T1 in group S as only being associated with the direct tissue trauma itself rather than the possibility that this pain comes from the systemic inflammatory response because grievances were only associated with the direct manipulation of the affected region.…”