Oculoplastic surgery with a contact Nd:YAG laser silica scalpel. A case report.

Baso-cellular carcinomas involving the medial canthal regions of both eyes were resected using a 10 W cw-Nd: YAG laser scalpel. The wound bed was repaired one side by a free, split-thickness graft and on the other by a frontal pedicle flap. Surgery was, for the most part, virtually bloodless. Since laser radiation immediately seals both capillaries and lymphatics, the incidence of postoperative hemorrhage and edema was significantly less than after cold scalpel surgery. Healing was uneventful. The advantages of laser-assisted surgery are worthy of consideration: not only is the operation time markedly curtailed, but the wound healing response is excellent, with only a minimal inflammatory reaction.