Clinical and histological comparison of tissue damage and healing following incisions with the CO2-laser and stainless steel surgical blade in dogs.

The tissue damage and subsequent healing of skin, linea alba and intestinal wall incisions made with a CO2-laser and a stainless steel surgical blade were evaluated clinically and histologically in dogs (n = 10). The amount of blood lost in each type of skin incision was measured by taking the pre- and postoperative mass of surgical swabs. The tissues were sutured and the skin incisions examined every day. The animals were subsequently euthanased (Day 12) and all incisions examined histologically. A delay in the healing process was observed in the laser incisions of the skin during the first 4 d, but there was no difference in the healing rate of the intestinal wounds or of the linea alba. The blood loss due to the laser incisions was significantly less than that caused by the surgical blade. It was concluded that the CO2-laser can be used with confidence when incising the skin and intestine and that, due to its precision, the surgical blade is by far a more accurate method to incise the linea alba.