A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WOUND HEALING AFTER SKIN INCISION WITH SCALPEL, $CO_2$, AND Nd:YAG LASER IN RATS

수술칼, $CO_2$ 및 Nd:YAG 레이저에 의한 절개 창상의 치유에 관한 비교 연구

The purpose of this study was to compare the wound healing process after skin incision using scalpel, $CO_2$ laser and pulsed Nd:YAG laser in rats. After skin on the back was incised 3 cm long, rats were sacrificed at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Macroscopic, histologic and immunohistochemical examinations using the collagen type IV and the CD34 antibodies which are necessary to the forming process of new capillary were performed. Results obtained were as follows ; Macroscopically the initial wound healing of the laser group was about $1{\sim}2$ weeks slower than that of the scalpel group. There weren't however any remarkable differences in all groups in 4 weeks after incision. By histologic finding, acute inflammatory cells were more prominent during the initial wound healing in the scalpel group than in the other groups. Epithelialization started in the order of scalpel, $CO_2$ and Nd:YAG laser group after skin incision. By the Masson's trichrome stain, collagen synthesis in the Nd:YAG laser group was more slowly initiated than in the other groups. But it was completed at the $3{\sim}4$ weeks in all groups. Immunohistochemically, collagen type IV and CD34 expression were markedly increased at 2 weeks in the scalpel and $CO_2$ laser group. Meanwhile, in the Nd:YAG laser group, these reactions were observed later tan the other groups. Collagen type IV and CD34 expression were decreased in all groups after 4 weeks. These results suggest that $CO_2$ and Nd:YAG laser showed similar healing process compared with scalpel and a potential substitute for scalpel in skin incision.