Page 126 - Veterinary Laser Therapy in Small Animal Practice

112 Veterinary Laser Therapy in Small Animal Practice

on a DAILY basis for 21 DAYS, which is very far from So what I do in practice is to encourage LT use, while
what we would do with a real patient. Cressoni et al. keeping in mind that younger animals respond faster. If
described changes in epiphyses and increased numbers your aim is to help with superficial wounds, the power
of chondrocytes but the same final bone length using and dose you will be using are probably not a concern
830 nm, with 5 and 15 J/cm applied ten times every to the deeper bone. If you are dealing with a Salter–
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other day. [287] Harris fracture, the problem for the growth plate is
Others have not found these risks. For instance, the fracture, not your laser (Fig. 9.2). Just don’t use too
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Cheetham et al. used 820 nm, 5 J/cm three times much power over an open growth plate. Young animals
per week in rats, and histological examination at the already have a higher metabolic rate, so try to keep
6th and 12th treatments did not show any changes in doses and frequency of sessions on the conservative
growth plates. [288] Another research group found no side. Nevertheless, you know that shortening the post-
differences on X-ray or cartilage pathology 14 weeks operative recovery period in a growing animal can be
after using 670 nm, at 4, 8, and 16 J/cm at one point extremely valuable, to decrease the risk of pathological
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over the medial epiphysis, daily for ten days. However, fibrosis, atrophy, compensating injuries, and the long-
the wavelength used and the fact they irradiated only term consequences these may carry. And despite the
one point could have meant there was limited penetra- extensive use of this modality, not a single case (to our
tion and effect. [289] knowledge) of angular deformities after laser therapy
has been reported in human or veterinary practice.
There is a case report that documents premature
closure of a physeal growth plate in a child, with 9.2.2 Laser therapy and metallic implants
subsequent bone deformity, after using what they
call “laser therapy.” But in the full text of the report, Internal metallic implants do not act like a hot iron on
what they actually talk about is a third-degree the bone. Unlike ultrasound, animals with such osteo-
burn with a surgical CO laser, [290] which works synthesis devices can be treated with LT (Fig. 9.3). And
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at much higher power densities, with the primary unlike ultrasound, which stimulates osteoclastic activ-
photo-thermal aim of ablating/coagulating/ ity, laser stimulates new bone formation. When human
vaporizing tissue, not stimulating its metabolism via osteoblast-like cells derived from human mandibu-
photochemical reactions. lar bone are irradiated in vitro with LT, they tend to

Figure 9.2 Treatment of a puppy in
the postoperative rehabilitation of
a distal humeral fracture (see Case
no.13 in this chapter).

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