Laranne J, Matsune S, Shima T, Ohyama M
Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 1996;253(8):454-9. doi: 10.1007/BF00179949.
Soft palate stiffening operations--often with CO2 or contact Nd:YAG lasers--have been used recently to treat patients with pronounced snoring. Differences in soft palate scars formed after CO2 and contact Nd:YAG laser incisions were studied in an animal model to determine which of these lasers produces a more rigid scar and consequently might be more effective for a soft palate stiffening operation. Six mongrel dogs were placed in each laser group, after which either the CO2 or Nd:YAG laser was used to make a 1.5-cm-long soft palate incision. The scars produced were then excised and studied histologically 4 weeks postoperatively. Special attention was paid to collagen density and elastin fibers in the scar tissue. After contact Nd:YAG laser incisions scar tissue was found to contain densely aligned collagen fibers and practically no elastin fibers. CO2 laser incisions produced significantly different scars: irregularly arranged collagen fibers with some elastin fibers also inside the scar tissue. Differences in the shapes of the scars and wound contractions were also found that were only seen after contact laser incisions. These findings suggest that the contact Nd:YAG laser might be more effective for soft palate stiffening operations.
软腭硬化手术——通常使用二氧化碳或接触式钕:钇铝石榴石激光——最近已被用于治疗打鼾严重的患者。在动物模型中研究了二氧化碳激光和接触式钕:钇铝石榴石激光切口后形成的软腭瘢痕差异，以确定哪种激光能产生更坚硬的瘢痕，从而可能对软腭硬化手术更有效。每个激光组放入6只杂种犬，然后分别用二氧化碳激光或钕:钇铝石榴石激光在软腭上做一个1.5厘米长的切口。术后4周切除产生的瘢痕并进行组织学研究。特别关注瘢痕组织中的胶原密度和弹性纤维。接触式钕:钇铝石榴石激光切口后发现瘢痕组织含有排列密集的胶原纤维，几乎没有弹性纤维。二氧化碳激光切口产生的瘢痕明显不同：胶原纤维排列不规则，瘢痕组织内也有一些弹性纤维。还发现了瘢痕形状和伤口收缩的差异，这些差异仅在接触式激光切口后出现。这些发现表明，接触式钕:钇铝石榴石激光可能对软腭硬化手术更有效。
