Histological tissue healing following high-power laser treatment in a model of suspensory ligament branch injury.
Authors: Pluim Mathilde, Heier Annabelle, Plomp Saskia, Boshuizen Berit, Gröne Andrea, van Weeren René, Vanderperren Katrien, Martens Ann, Dewulf Jeroen, Chantziaras Ilias, Koene Marc, Luciani Antonio, Oosterlinck Maarten, Van Brantegem Leen, Delesalle Cathérine
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: High-Power Laser Therapy and Suspensory Ligament Healing Despite growing clinical adoption of high-power laser therapy for equine tendon and ligament injuries, robust histological evidence of its therapeutic effects in large animal models remains sparse. This study examined whether class 4 laser treatment (15W applied daily for four weeks) could improve tissue repair in standardised suspensory ligament branch lesions, using histological analysis and immunostaining markers (collagen types 1 and 3, factor VIII) across both short-term (4 weeks) and long-term (6 months) healing phases in 12 Warmblood horses. At four weeks, laser-treated lesions demonstrated significantly superior organisation across multiple parameters: improved fibre alignment (32% versus 75% above acceptable cut-off in controls), better fibre structure (38% versus 71%), more normal nuclear morphology (54% versus 92%), and more uniform density (17% versus 31% above cut-off), whilst control lesions paradoxically showed higher collagen type 3 expression (32% versus 19%)—potentially indicating less mature scar formation. By six months, advantages persisted in lesion size reduction (15% versus 45% above cut-off in laser-treated versus controls respectively) and nuclear morphology, though the long-term implications of these histological differences for functional recovery and re-injury risk require clarification. Whilst these findings support high-power laser's biological plausibility for desmitis management, practitioners should note this used surgically created lesions rather than naturally occurring overuse injuries, and further studies correlating histological improvements with clinical outcomes and ridden soundness are warranted before definitive recommendations can be made.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •High-power laser therapy (class 4, 15W daily for 4 weeks) appears to promote better histological healing of suspensory ligament injuries compared to conservative treatment alone
- •Benefits include improved fibre organization and alignment, which may translate to better functional recovery and reduced reinjury risk
- •Results suggest laser therapy warrants consideration as an adjunctive treatment for suspensory desmitis, though clinical validation with larger populations is needed
Key Findings
- •Laser-treated lesions showed significantly better fibre alignment (32% vs 75% above cut-off, P=0.003) and fibre structure (38% vs 71%, P=0.02) at 4 weeks compared to controls
- •Lesion size improved more in laser-treated group at 6 months (15% vs 45% above cut-off, P=0.008)
- •Collagen 3 expression was significantly higher in control lesions at 4 weeks (32% vs 19%, P=0.006), suggesting more organized collagen deposition in treated lesions
- •Shape of nuclei scored significantly better in laser-treated lesions both short-term and long-term (53% vs 84% above cut-off in combined analysis, P=0.05)