This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Facial Plastic Surgery, Other  • Surgery  • Laser Surgery  • Alert me on articles by topic

A Biotechnological Advance for the Future

Mia Talmor, MD; Clifford B. Bleustein, MD; Dix P. Poppas, MD

Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2001;3:207-213.

Laser tissue welding as well as other alternative methods of closure will play a more important role in surgical specialties as laparoscopic, endoscopic, and microsurgical techniques continue to develop. Laser tissue welding uses laser energy to anastomose tissues and is ideally suited for applications in which suturing and stapling is difficult. Recent advances have led to a better understanding of the mechanisms of tissue welding. Additionally, technical achievements including the introduction of protein solders and temperature-controlled feedback systems have led to the acceptance of laser tissue welding in clinical medicine. In this article, we describe the history and development of laser tissue welding and review the current and potential applications of this technology.

From the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Drs Talmor and Poppas), and the Center for Pediatric Urology, Department of Urology (Drs Bleustein and Poppas), Children's Hospital of New York City. Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York City.