Laser Surgery – Is it better?

The use of several types of laser surgical tools has been a tremendous boon to human medicine, allowing more control, pain management, and less bleeding in many types of surgery. These instruments are now available for veterinary medicine in the form of CO2 and diode lasers. Of the two types, the CO2 laser is the most versatile.

With CO2 laser, tissues, nerves and small blood vessels are sealed as the laser cuts. This decreases post-operative pain and improves visibility for the surgeon during the procedure. This is most advantageous in feline declawing, where both bleeding and pain are major concerns. The laser allows the procedure to be done, in most cases, without the use of a tourniquet to control bleeding, and the cats are much more comfortable after recovery from anesthesia.

Laser also allows some eyelid surgeries to be performed without sutures, resulting in less scarring.

In spite of all this, lasers are not, as some would have you believe, a cure all for surgical problems, or the best choice for all surgeries. In some cases, a surgery may be performed more quickly, or tissues may be easier to examine with traditional surgical methods. Your veterinarian can advise you as to the best surgical method for your pet. We are happy to be able to offer you this valuable surgical option.

Ultrasound – What is it good for?

Ultrasound imaging is the technique of using high frequency sound waves to penetrate body tissues and produce a picture of the tissues inside. This is the same principle that is used to produce under sea images using sonar. An ultrasound image is produced by measuring the time required for sound waves from a probe placed on the skin to be reflected back from various tissues in the body. A computer in the ultrasound machine converts this information into an image.

Ultrasound is particularly effective at looking inside solid or fluid filled structures such as those in the abdomen. This is an area where radiography (x-ray), the traditional imaging mode, is limited by similarities in density of adjacent organs. For example, where radiography produces a shadow of the outline of the liver, ultrasound shows the various blood vessels and ducts within the liver, gives clues as to the organ’s texture, and even demonstrates masses within the organ.

On the other hand, ultrasound is a poor choice for imaging bone or lung. High density structures such as bone, and very low density materials, such as air completely block ultrasound wave transmission. Fortunately these are the very areas in which radiographic images excel. As a result having access to both radiography and ultrasound gives the veterinarian a the ability to image almost all body areas well.