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Effects of Nd:YAG laser irradiation on morphometry and lung function in elastase-induced emphysema in rats
T Akahane1, Y Kurokawa, R Chiba
1Second Department of Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Background & Objective:
Although thoracoscopic laser ablation therapy has been hailed as an effective surgical treatment for diffuse emphysema, no one has as yet made an in-depth study of the efficacy of this treatment. This investigation was undertaken to research the effects of laser pneumoplasty on an animal model of emphysema.
Study Design/Materials And Methods:
Eight weeks after elastase treatment, the rats' left lungs were irradiated using contact Nd:YAG laser. Pulmonary function tests were performed 4 weeks after irradiation and the lungs were prepared for histologic examination.
Results:
Dense fibrous scars beneath the pleura were observed at 4 weeks after irradiation. Although mean linear intercept values of irradiated lungs were not much lower than those in the non-irradiated elastase-treated group, laser irradiation caused a significant decrease in lung volume. While there was no significant difference in quasistatic compliance, elastic recoil pressure of the lung increased to control levels at total lung capacity volume.
Conclusion:
We conclude that laser therapy does not cause normalization of compliance, or improvement in the deeper part of the emphysematous lung, but rather a peripheral volume reduction and "encasement effect" on the lungs as a result of fibrotic scars.