Laser welding has the potential to become an effective method for wound closure and healing without sutures. Closure of skin incisions by laser welding with a combination of two near-infrared lasers (980 and 1064 nm), was performed for the first time in this study. One centimeter long, full-thickness incisions were made on the Wistar rat"s dorsal skin. The efficiencies of laser-welding with different parameters were investigated. Incision-healing, histology examination, and a tensile strength test of incisions were recorded. Laser welding with the irradiance level of 15.9 W/cm(2) for both 980 and 1064-nm lasers and exposure time of 5 s per spot in continuous wave mode yielded a more effective closure and healing with minimal thermal damage, faster recovery, and stronger apposition in comparison with a suturing technique. The conclusion is that skin welding with a combination of two near-infrared diode lasers can be a good candidate for incision closure, and further investigations are in progress for clinical use. (C) 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.3552648]
[1]Chinese Acad Sci, Changchun Inst Opt Fine Mech & Phys, Lab Excited State Proc, Changchun 130033, Peoples R China.
[2]Chinese Acad Sci, Grad Sch, Beijing 10049, Peoples R China.
[3]Jilin Univ, Hosp 1, Dept Urol, Changchun 130021, Peoples R China.
[4]Jilin Univ, Hosp 1, Dept Pathol, Changchun 130021, Peoples R China.
[5]Chinese Acad Sci, Suzhou Inst Biomed Engn & Technol, Lab Med Laser Technol, Suzhou 215163, Peoples R China.
(8.0+极速模式)