ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Various studies have shown that phototherapy promotes the healing of cutaneous wounds. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of phototherapy on healing of cutaneous wounds in nourished and undernourished rats. METHODS: Forty rats, 20 nourished plus 20 others rendered marasmus with undernourishment, were assigned to four equal groups: nourished sham, nourished Light Emitting Diode treated, undernourished sham and undernourished Light Emitting Diode treated. In the two treated groups, two 8-mm punch wounds made on the dorsum of each rat were irradiated three times per week with 3 J/cm2 sq cm of combined 660 and 890nm light; wounds in the other groups were not irradiated. Wounds were evaluated with digital photography and image analysis, either on day 7 or day 14, with biopsies obtained on day 14 for histological studies. RESULTS: Undernourishment retarded the mean healing rate of the undernourished sham wounds (p < 0.01), but not the undernourished Light emission diode treated wounds, which healed significantly faster (p < 0.001) and as fast as the two nourished groups. Histological analysis showed a smaller percentage of collagen in the undernourished sham group compared with the three other groups, thus confirming our photographic image analysis data. CONCLUSION: Phototherapy reverses the adverse healing effects of undernourishment. Similar beneficial effects may be achieved in patients with poor nutritional status. .
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Low-Level Light Therapy/methods , Lasers, Semiconductor/therapeutic use , Skin/pathology , Skin/radiation effects , Wound Healing/radiation effects , Biopsy , Collagen/analysis , Collagen/radiation effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation , Nutritional Status , Rats, Wistar , Reproducibility of Results , Serum Albumin/analysis , Skin Ulcer/pathology , Skin Ulcer/radiotherapy , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Se presenta un paciente masculino de 30 años de edad, que sufrió en el dorso del pie derecho una picadura de animal marino (raya) cuando cruzaba la desembocadura de un río. No se procedió de inmediato a realizar las medidas específicas para neutralizar la acción proteolítica de la sustancia inoculada; 48 horas después del accidente presentó edema del pie derecho y fiebre. A la semana siguiente presentaba una úlcera necrótica en el sitio de inoculación con un trayecto fistuloso que llegaba hasta las partes blandas de la región plantar. El paciente fue tratado con laser gaseoso de Helio-Neón obteniendo la curación total sin recidivas a las 20 sesiones.