[Vascular anastomosis using CO2 laser: an experimental study].

This experiment was done on 50 left side carotid communal arteries of rats. The arteries were cut and then anastomosed by welding using CO2 laser which produced by a self design laser microsurgical machine which was designed by us, while the right side arteries as control were anastomosed by conventional suturing with 11/0 nylon thread. The results showed that the patency rate was 100% in both groups either immediately or 1 hour, 3 days, and 10 days and 2 months after operation. The operative time of the laser group is about 5-6 min shorter than the sutured group which took 10-15 min. The anastomotic quality was examined by scanning electronmicroscopy. The results showed: On the third day the endothelium growth rate was 18% and on the 10th day was 98% in the laser group which was very close to the sutured group.