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Published on: June 13, 2025
Laser facial nerve welding in a rabbit model
Jason D Bloom1, Benjamin S Bleier, Stephen A Goldstein
1Division of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA. bloomj@gmail.com
Objective:
To assess the feasibility of laser tissue welding for repair of facial nerve injury.
Methods:
In a prospective in vivo animal survival surgery model, rabbit facial nerve injury was followed by either standard suture neurorrhaphy or laser tissue welding using a diode laser (808 ± 1 nm) to weld biological solder. Rabbits were evaluated at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks by facial videography and electromyography. Histopathological analysis of the repair was performed at 4 and 16 weeks.
Results:
Videographic analysis demonstrated the laser tissue welding repair trended toward superior outcomes compared with suture neurorrhaphy at all 4 time points. Electrophysiological analysis demonstrated similar or better results, with statistically significant improvement at week 16 (P < .05). Histologic analysis demonstrated no difference in axon organization or extravasation between groups; however, the laser nerve repair created a greater initial inflammatory reaction. An analysis of operative time demonstrated significantly decreased time and ease of use for laser tissue welding.
Conclusions:
This pilot study demonstrates that laser nerve welding may be an expedient, feasible, and safe method for facial nerve repair in a rabbit model. Further experiments with larger numbers are needed to provide additional evidence that laser tissue welding produces a neurorrhaphy that has functional, electrophysiological, and histological results that could rival traditional suture neurorrhaphy.
