The treatment of equine sarcoidosis by carbon dioxide laser
Vingerhoets, M.; Diehl, M.; Gerber, H.; Stornetta, D.; Rausis, C.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde 130(3): 113-126
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-7281 PMID: 3375796 Document Number: 322973
CO2-laser was used in 30 operations on 25 horses with equine sarcoid (188 tumours). Mean age of the horses was 5 years and the majority had multiple tumours. Type I tumours involved alopecia and hyperkeratosis; type II were verrucous and sessile; type III: nodular, sessile and non-ulcerated; type IV: nodular, sessile or pedunculated, and ulcerated. The neck is usually affected by type I, the abdomen and head by type II, the eyelids and prepuce by type III. Type IV, the most frequent, is found on the axillary folds, girth, legs and periocular zone. Three surgical procedures were used according to the size and type of each tumour. They consisted of simple vaporization, excision and vaporization, or excision, vaporization and suturing of the resulting wound. A laser beam potency in the tissue varying from 800 to 50 000 Watts/cmsuperscript 2 was used. Primary wound healing after suturing appeared to be as good as after use of the scalpel. Open wound healing was rapid, painless and uncomplicated. There was no hypergranulation. Laser surgery guarantees high precision, fast execution and good patient comfort. In 7 of the 25 cases there was recurrence and this is ascribed to incomplete disintegration of the changed tissue. Techniques used and protective precautions are explained in detail.