The effects of lasertherapy AsGa on canine tendon healing

Abstract

In order to evaluate the influence of lasertherapy on the healing process. Thirty crossbred dogs were divided into three groups (group I, II and III: dogs were sacrificed respective at day 10^th, 21^st and 40 ^th after starting the experiment) and submitted to tenotomy and tenorraphy of the calcanean common tendon of both limbs.Tarsal joints were fixed for eleven days in those dogs of group I and for twenty-one days on group II and III. All dogs from group III were submitted to daily 30 minutes walks for two weeks in order to stimulate the tendon mobility. AsGa laser was applied daily (4j/cm²) during ten days on the left limb of all dogs during the first postoperative days and the first ten days of the exercises period for group III. Clinical evaluation of lasertherapy on limb functionality was made by physical examination. Involved tendons were evaluated at necropsy and by optic microscopy at eleventh post-operative day (group I), twentieth-first day (group II) and fortieth day (group III). Functional performance of the left hind limbs, exposed to the laser beam was better than that of the right limb. Grossly irradiated tendons showed better vascularization, less adherence and better repair than the non-irradiated one. Histological studies showed that laser the rapy did not interfere significantly on fibroblast production and collagem synthesis.