CO(2) Laser Fascia to Dura Soldering for Pig Dural Defect Reconstruction.
OBJECTIVE
The purposes of this study were to demonstrate that laser soldering is safe and effective for tissue bonding in dural reconstruction and to compare this new reconstruction technique to an established one.


METHODS
A temperature-controlled fiberoptic CO(2) laser system or fibrin glue were used for in vitro dural defect reconstruction in two groups of pigs. The CO(2) laser technique was also used for dural reconstruction in live pigs.


RESULTS
The burst pressure of the reconstructed dura by the laser system was significantly higher than that of fibrin glue (mean pressure 258.5 +/- 117.3 cm H(2)O and 76.8 +/- 47.2 cm H(2)O, respectively). There were no postoperative complications and no signs of thermal damage to the dura, fascia, or underlying tissue on histological analysis following the in vivo CO(2) laser experiments.


CONCLUSIONS
Temperature-controlled laser soldering is an effective technique for dural repair. It creates a strong tissue bonding with no thermal damage to the tissue. The burst pressure of the reconstructed dura done with laser soldering is significantly higher than that of fibrin glue.
Forer
Boaz
B
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Vasileyev
Tamar
T
Gil
Ziv
Z
Brosh
Tamar
T
Kariv
Naam
N
Katzir
Abraham
A
Fliss
Dan M
DM