Low-level laser therapy for wound healing: Feasibility of wound dressing transillumination

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of expos ing wounds during low-level laser therapy (LLLT) by transillumination of th e wound dressings. Background Data: LLLT has been associated with accelerat ed wound healing in chronic ulcers, The usual approach is to remove wound d ressings prior to exposure and to treat three to five times weekly. Frequen t change of wound dressings is time consuming and costly; it disrupts the h ealing process, increases the risk of wound infection, and may be traumatic for the patient. Methods: A double integrating sphere setup was employed t o quantify the diffuse transmittance and reflectance of various wound dress ings. Differences in transmittance for large area sources and point sources were demonstrated through the use of a diode laser and an incoherent light source. Results: There were a number of gels and membrane style wound dres sings with diffuse transmittance of more than 50%, Hence, for these dressin gs the prescribed radiant exposure to the wound surface could be achieved b y increasing the exposure duration, while maintaining reasonable overall tr eatment times. Conclusions: Although LLLT by transillumination of wound dre ssings is feasible for a variety of wound dressings without significant com mitments in additional treatment time, the specific transmission of product s not included in this study needs to be determined at the intended treatme nt wavelength. A transillumination approach may facilitate a faster rate of wound healing than LLLT applied to exposed wounds by reducing trauma and t he risk of infection.