Comparative gross and histological study of the effects of scalpel, electric knife, and carbon dioxide laser on skin and uterine incisions in dogs.

This study concerns the gross histological effects of scalpel, electric knife, and carbon dioxide laser incisions on skin and uterine tissue in dogs. Tissue studies comparing the carbon dioxide laser with the scalpel and electric knife have frequented the literature. However, a gross and histological comparison specifically involving uterine tissue is not presently known to have been reported. The evaluation on this series of animals considers both the skin and the uterus in an abdominal approach to evaluate the carbon dioxide laser for potential intrauterine surgery. Tissue sampling of both skin and uterus at 2, 6, and 8 weeks postoperatively were histologically examined to evaluate healing rates and degree of scar formation.