Brand C U, Blum A, Schlegel A, Farin G, Garbe C
Section of Dermatological Oncology, Department of Dermatology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.
Dermatology. 1998;197(2):152-7. doi: 10.1159/000017988.
Argon plasma coagulation (APC) is a noncontact electrosurgical technique which has been used in open surgery for about 20 years and in endoscopy for about 5 years.
The aim of the present study was to provide preliminary results on the effect of this method in skin surgery.
The effects of variations in gas flow, output power and coagulation times on the extent of the resulting skin coagulation zone were tested in a pig skin model. Furthermore, preliminary results were obtained from 48 patients.
The depth of the coagulation zone, which depends on the output power of the high-frequency (HF) generator and the application time, was examined clinically and histologically in 150 different pig skin coagulations. The maximum depth of the coagulation zone was 4 mm. Coagulation zones below 4 mm can be maintained by controlling the output power of the HF generator and/or the duration of application. Variations of argon flow did not influence the depth of the coagulation zone significantly. In preliminary clinical tests, 48 patients with common warts, senile hemangiomas and actinic keratoses were treated with APC. In all cases, APC was highly effective and easy to perform. No severe problems or complications were observed. The skin lesions were destroyed with minimal or no scarring and without damaging the surrounding tissue.
In the present preliminary study, APC proved to be an effective treatment with well-controlled tissue destruction. Further clinical studies are required to evaluate the suitability and the indications of this method in the treatment of cutaneous lesions.
氩等离子体凝固术（APC）是一种非接触式电外科技术，已在开放手术中使用约20年，在内镜检查中使用约5年。
本研究旨在提供该方法在皮肤外科手术中效果的初步结果。
在猪皮模型中测试气体流量、输出功率和凝固时间变化对皮肤凝固区范围的影响。此外，从48例患者中获得了初步结果。
在150次不同的猪皮凝固实验中，从临床和组织学角度检查了取决于高频（HF）发生器输出功率和应用时间的凝固区深度。凝固区的最大深度为4毫米。通过控制HF发生器的输出功率和/或应用持续时间，可以维持4毫米以下的凝固区。氩气流量的变化对凝固区深度没有显著影响。在初步临床试验中，48例患有寻常疣、老年性血管瘤和光化性角化病的患者接受了APC治疗。在所有病例中，APC都非常有效且易于实施。未观察到严重问题或并发症。皮肤病变被破坏，瘢痕形成极少或无瘢痕形成，且未损伤周围组织。
在本初步研究中，APC被证明是一种有效的治疗方法，组织破坏得到良好控制。需要进一步的临床研究来评估该方法在治疗皮肤病变中的适用性和适应证。
