Research on tissue injury of low-temperature plasma ablation with different saline temperatures

To investigate tissue damage and recovery after low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation in saline at 0 °C,4 °C, and 25 °C, and to determine optimal temperature parameters for plasma radiofrequency ablation. A total of 72 sides of oral and buccal mucosa from 36 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into a long-term observation group and an immediate execution group. Subsequently, they were assigned to three temperature groups: 0 °C, 4 °C and 25 °C. In the long-term observation group, after ablation of the buccal mucosa on both sides of the rabbits, the damage area and the number of days required for healing at each postoperative time point were analyzed. Another group collected samples after the same treatment and performed pathological analysis to evaluate the depth of tissue damage, the extent of inflammatory cell infiltration and the proportion of collagen fibers at different temperatures. The complete healing time of the 0 °C group was shorter than that of the other two groups. On the third day after surgery, both the direct damage and the overall damage areas of the 0 °C group were larger than those of the 4 °C group and the 25 °C group. From the first to the third day after surgery, the recovery rate, whether for direct damage or overall damage, was better in the 4 °C and 25 °C groups compared to the 0 °C group. Additionally, from the seventh to the ninth day after surgery, the direct damage recovery rate in the 4 °C group was better than that in the 0 °C group. The postoperative tissue damage depth in the 0 °C group was shallower than in the 4 °C group. There were no significant differences among the three groups in inflammatory cell infiltration or the proportion of collagen fibers in the injured tissue. The initial injury area in the 0 °C group was larger, and the recovery rate was slower at certain time points during the recovery period. However, it achieved complete healing earlier than the 4 °C group and the 25 °C group. These results indicate that the temperature of the saline solution not only affects the extent of early injury but also influences the subsequent speed of tissue repair.Level of evidence: II.