title: Biological effects of laser welding on vascular healing.
abstract: The feasibility of welding thin-walled microvessels by laser has been established. This report summarizes our experience using laser welding to repair thick-walled, high-pressure, 4 to 8-mm canine arteries using CO2, Nd:YAG, and argon lasers. The CO2 laser did not produce seals that could withstand arterial pressure. Nd:YAG laser welds were initially successful, but the majority failed within 20 to 40 minutes. The argon laser uniformly sealed 2-cm-length arteriotomies that healed rapidly within 4 to 6 weeks and had less foreign body response compared to sutured controls. Laser welding may represent an alternative for repair of small- and large-diameter vessels with several advantages compared to conventional suture techniques.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000601:surgery*; D004285:Dogs; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D005549:Foreign-Body Reaction / Q000209:etiology; D006099:Granuloma / Q000209:etiology; D053685:Laser Therapy; D007834:Lasers / Q000009:adverse effects; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000528:radiation effects*