title: Histology assessment of bipolar coagulation and argon plasma coagulation on digestive tract.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the effect of bipolar electrocoagulation and argon plasma coagulation on fresh specimens of gastrointestinal tract.
  
  
  METHODS
  An experimental evaluation was performed at Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo, on 31 fresh surgical specimens using argon plasma coagulation and bipolar electrocoagulation at different time intervals. The depth of tissue damage was histopathologically analyzed by single senior pathologist unaware of the coagulation method and power setting applied. To analyze the results, the mucosa was divided in superficial mucosa (epithelial layer of the esophagus and superficial portion of the glandular layer of the stomach and colon) intermediate mucosa (until the lamina propria of the esophagus and until the bottom of the glandular layer of the stomach and colon) and muscularis mucosa. Necrosis involvement of the layers was compared in several combinations of power and time interval.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Involvement of the intermediate mucosa of the stomach and of the muscularis mucosa of the three organs was more frequent when higher amounts of energy were used with argon plasma. In the esophagus and in the colon, injury of the intermediate mucosa was frequent, even when small amounts of energy were used. The use of bipolar electrocoagulation resulted in more frequent involvement of the intermediate mucosa and of the muscularis mucosa of the esophagus and of the colon when higher amounts of energy were used. In the stomach, these involvements were rare. The risk of injury of the muscularis propria was significant only in the colon when argon plasma coagulation was employed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tissue damage after argon plasma coagulation is deeper than bipolar electrocoagulation. Both of them depend on the amount of energy used.
authors.affiliation: Teresa Garrido, Elisa R Baba, Stephanie Wodak, Paulo Sakai, Ivan Cecconello, Fauze Maluf-Filho, Endoscopy Division and Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Garrido
authors.affiliation: Teresa Garrido, Elisa R Baba, Stephanie Wodak, Paulo Sakai, Ivan Cecconello, Fauze Maluf-Filho, Endoscopy Division and Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elisa R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.affiliation: Teresa Garrido, Elisa R Baba, Stephanie Wodak, Paulo Sakai, Ivan Cecconello, Fauze Maluf-Filho, Endoscopy Division and Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wodak
authors.affiliation: Teresa Garrido, Elisa R Baba, Stephanie Wodak, Paulo Sakai, Ivan Cecconello, Fauze Maluf-Filho, Endoscopy Division and Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.affiliation: Teresa Garrido, Elisa R Baba, Stephanie Wodak, Paulo Sakai, Ivan Cecconello, Fauze Maluf-Filho, Endoscopy Division and Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cecconello
authors.affiliation: Teresa Garrido, Elisa R Baba, Stephanie Wodak, Paulo Sakai, Ivan Cecconello, Fauze Maluf-Filho, Endoscopy Division and Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fauze
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maluf-Filho
keywords: Argon plasma coagulation; Electrocoagulation; Endoscopic gastrointestinal; Gastrointestinal endoscopy; Mucous membrane/injuries; Surgical procedures