1995 Volume 7 Issue 2 Pages 81-87
Experimentally-induced teat wall wounds (1 x 3 cm) in four dairy cattle were subjected to treatment with a helium-neon (HeNe) laser at 632.8 nm wavelength. The 16 teats were divided in a Latin Square design into 4 groups and subjected to different doses of low level laser: (1) Group A, 3.64 J/cm2 for 15 min; (2) Group B, 2.42 J/cm2 for 10 min; (3) Group C, 1.21 J/cm2 for 5 min; and (4) Group D - control. Tissue samples from treatment and control groups were collected during surgery and after 13 sessions of laser therapy. Histological and histochemical examinations of posthealing specimens were condueted for evaluation of epidermal and fibroblast proliferation, production of collagen and ground substance, and neovascularization. Epithelialization and epithelial differentiation and keratinization in Groups A and B were more advanced compared with Groups C and D. Also, collagen fibres in Groups A and B were thicker, denser and more aligned than in Groups C and D. The posthealing histoarchitectural view of irradiated specimens, particularly in Groups A and B, suggests that low level laser therapy has a beneficial influence on wound healing.
