Comparative morphological assessment of the damaging effects of cold plasma and radio wave energy on the mucous membrane of the lip in the experiment

Abstract

Experimental animals removed a portion of the mucous membrane of the inner surface of the lip with a Surgitron radio knife (group 1) and an electrode of the Coblator II cold plasma apparatus (observation group 2). Tissue was taken from the edge of the surgical wound as a trapezoidal flap containing mucous and submucous membranes immediately after the incision and 3 weeks after the surgery. Histological sections were prepared, which were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, as well as according to van Gieson. It was found that, both in cases of using a radio knife and a coblator along the edges and in the depth of the wound, coagulation tissue necrosis was observed, which was more evident in group 1 of observations. In addition, after the radio wave exposure, in the areas close to the defect, the epithelial lining was disrupted to one degree or another, which was not observed when using the coblator. After 3 weeks of the experiment, the stratified squamous non-keratinizing epithelium in both groups had a normal histological structure. At the same time, when using the coblator, the lamina propria of the mucous membrane was completely restored, and in cases with the use of a radio knife, sclerotic processes with the formation of scar tissue took place in the lamina propria of the mucous membrane in some areas. The use of a coblator should be recognized as a more gentle method, since a comparative analysis of histological changes immediately after the incision showed a more intense damaging effect of the radio knife on the surrounding tissues, which in later stages was accompanied by incomplete regeneration (substitution) of the lip mucosa.