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Comparison of CO₂ laser and 4·0 MHz radiosurgery for making incisions in the skin and muscles of green iguanas (Iguana iguana)

¹ Zoological Medicine, Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
² Pathology, Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
³ Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services, 111A Center Street South, Vienna, VA 22180, USA

Correspondence: E-mail for correspondence: shdivers{at}uga.edu

Four green iguanas scheduled for euthanasia were used to compare the extent of collateral tissue damage associated with CO₂ laser and 4·0 MHz radiosurgery. The iguanas were anaesthetised and a series of three skin and three muscle incisions was made by 4·0 MHz radiosurgery (0·18 mm wire electrode, 25 W, cut mode) and CO₂ laser (0·3 mm ceramic tip, 15 W focused beam super-pulse mode), and three incisions were made with a scalpel blade as controls. Following euthanasia, a total of 60 skin and 36 muscle sections were evaluated histologically. Radiosurgery and the laser both produced bloodless incisions, but radiosurgery caused significantly less collateral tissue damage in the skin (307 [97] v 386 [108] µm) and the muscle (18 [7] v 91 [15] µm).