Page 94 - Veterinary Laser Therapy in Small Animal Practice

80 Veterinary Laser Therapy in Small Animal Practice

For open abdominal treatments, your parameters
would be as follows.

2
• Dose: 1–4 J/cm . If you are unsure, use 1 J/cm , wait
2
for a couple of minutes for a tissue response, and
decide whether you want to repeat the dose or not.
• Average power: in the range 0.5–2 W.
• Power density should be kept low, around 0.1 W/
cm .
2
7.10 Airway

Different respiratory disorders may benefit from LT,
as reported in studies on sinusitis, pleurisy, and other
conditions. Let’s review what’s been published, from Figure 7.19 Treatment of the nasal sinus with smaller hand-
the upper to the lower airway segments, and the par- piece while protecting the eye with the hand.
ticularities of the treatment techniques.
Rhinitis and sinusitis can benefit both from the
anti-inflammatory effect of LT and the response to
infections: infectious rhinosinusitis can be helped by
decreasing bacterial counts with LT, according to an
experimental study in rabbits, in which a 2 log reduc-
tion in colony count was achieved. [181] Some time
later, a study was conducted by the same researcher in
humans, in which LT and topical drugs were used in
combination, demonstrating that laser could not only
significantly decrease bacterial counts, but also poten-
tially resensitize bacteria to antimicrobials. [257] A pilot
clinical study in human patients with chronic rhinitis
found significant improvement in patients’ ratings of
their own symptoms after ten LT sessions, although
there was no control/placebo group. [258] Figure 7.20 Treatment with a longer hand-piece decreases
Allergic rhinitis can also be helped with LT accord- power density.
ing to a mouse model [259] and a pilot study in humans [260]
that reported decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines, Another potential application for LT is the postop-
lower histological damage to the nasal epithelium, and erative treatment of brachycephalic dogs; an analgesic
symptomatic improvement. When treating sinuses, effect after tonsillectomy has been reported in human
aim the beam from different angles into the sinuses’ patients in a placebo-controlled study in which both
projection area and nasal cavity and away from the visual analog scale rating and analgesic consumption
eyes, which should be carefully protected (Figs 7.19 decreased in the LT group. [261]
and 7.20). Start with 5 J/cm , and increase to 10 J/cm Consider it before they even wake up, so you are able
2
2
if after 2–3 treatments no change is noticed. Keep a to do a direct open-mouth treatment; treat the palate
2
2
power density of about 1 W/cm and monitor the tem- and pharynx with 1–4 J/cm using low power density.
perature of the skin, since you will be moving the hand- Treating the larynx from the outside requires you to
piece over a relatively small area. Ideally, we would treat at least double the dose and power: so use 5–10 J/cm
2
on a daily basis for 2–3 sessions, but if that is not pos- and 3–4 W. Research in this field is almost nonexistent;
sible at least three times a week must be the goal. Once however, a study in rats did describe good results in a
a good improvement is achieved, spread visits apart laryngitis model. [262] Although you don’t want to treat
progressively. directly over the thyroid area for a long time, you will

REDONDO PRINT (4-COL BLEED).indd 80 08/08/2019 09:47