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Laser Surgery: Is It Really Better Than Cutting With Cold Steel?
April 2006
- Eliot Kaplan, DVM -
Over the last ten years, numerous laser surgical units have become available for veterinary use. I am not talking about the lasers used by cosmetic surgeons to fade away scars or wrinkles. I am talking about laser instruments used specifically for cutting tissue.
Quite simply, the laser used in this way is simply another instrument used to make a cut through skin or other tissue. Whether the cut is made by a scalpel blade or a laser, it must still heal together when all is said and done. Does a cut made by a laser unit heal faster or slower than a cut made by a scalpel blade? It probably heals in about the same amount of time as long as the laser was used properly. If the laser caused excessive thermal damage (burn) that can happen with an inexperienced user, the result can actually be a wound that heals slower.
Advocates of laser surgery feel that the patients are in less postoperative discomfort when compared to conventional surgery with a scalpel blade. It is believed that the laser burns nerve endings, which decreases the postoperative pain. This point is up for debate. In a study done several years ago in which declawing cats was done with a laser and compared to cases done with a scalpel blade, "differences in discomfort and complications between groups treated via scalpel versus CO2 laser were not clinically relevant and were only observed 1 day after surgery."
I have used the laser myself for surgery and find it a great tool. However, I still believe that it is of one's personal preference whether a cut is made with a laser or a scalpel. If one is a good surgeon, the patient or client owning the patient will probably not be able to tell which instrument was employed. So at this time, I cannot say that laser surgery is superior. |
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