Tissue Fusion With Argon, CO2 And Nd:YAG Lasers; Thermal And Histological Comparison

Two mechanisms of laser tissue fusion, thermal and photochemical, are currently being proposed in several types of tissue. In this study we examined the thermal and histologic components of laser fusion in blood vessels and bowel. CO2 and Argon lasers were used to fuse 1 cm canine arteriotomies and 1 cm rabbit enterotomies. Thermal images were concurrently recorded with an AGA Thermovision camera and computer analyzed. Tissue samples from each weld were subsequently prepared for histologic examination.