A retrospective comparison of carbon dioxide surgical laser and non-laser excision for removal of cutaneous and subcutaneous soft-tissue sarcomas in dogs

ABSTRACT

Aims: To compare the duration of anaesthesia, surgery, and postoperative hospitalisation, the proportion of tumours excised with complete histologic margins and immediate postoperative surgical site complications in dogs undergoing removal of cutaneous or subcutaneous soft tissue sarcomas (STS) by either carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser or non-laser surgical excision methods.

Methods: Medical records of dogs that underwent surgical excision of cutaneous and subcutaneous STS at the University of Missouri between December 2004 and May 2018 were evaluated. The study population consisted of client-owned dogs that underwent CO₂ laser (n = 4) or non-laser (n = 20) excision of a single STS. Data recorded included: signalment, duration of anaesthesia, surgery and postoperative hospitalisation, tumour characteristics, completeness of histologic margins, postoperative complications, adjunctive therapy, and other procedures at the time of surgery.

Results: There was no evidence of a difference in mean age, body weight or tumour size between groups. Similarly there was no evidence of a difference in the duration of anaesthesia or surgery, or in the proportion of dogs whose STS were removed with complete histologic margins between dogs whose STS was removed using laser or non-laser surgical excision methods. However, the duration of postoperative hospitalisation trended towards being longer for the laser excision group (p = 0.061).

Conclusions: These data provide preliminary evidence that excision of cutaneous or subcutaneous STS with CO₂ surgical laser is comparable to non-laser methods for the measured outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Laser
• surgery
• CO₂ laser
• carbon dioxide laser
• soft tissue sarcoma