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. 2021 Jun 30;11(7):1965.
doi: 10.3390/ani11071965.

Comparison of the Effect of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on Skin Surface Temperature and Vein Diameter in Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Skin in Healthy Racehorses

Paulina Zielińska  1 , Maria Soroko  2 , Kevin Howell  3 , Maria Godlewska  1 , Weronika Hildebrand  1 , Krzysztof Dudek  4
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Comparison of the Effect of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on Skin Surface Temperature and Vein Diameter in Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Skin in Healthy Racehorses

Paulina Zielińska et al. Animals (Basel). .
Free PMC article

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess differences in the influence of high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) on the skin surface temperature and vein diameter of the lateral fetlock joint region in a group of racehorses with pigmented and non-pigmented skin in the treatment area. Twenty Thoroughbreds were divided into two equal groups: pigmented and non-pigmented skin groups. Each horse received the same HILT treatment. Just before and immediately after HILT, thermographic examination was performed to measure the skin surface temperature and ultrasonographic examination assessed the lateral digital palmar vein diameter. After HILT, the pigmented skin surface temperature increased, while the non-pigmented skin surface temperature decreased, and the difference between both groups was significant (p < 0.001). The vein diameter increased after HILT in horses with pigmented and non-pigmented skin, but the difference between both groups was not significant (p = 0.14). In conclusion, melanin content in the epidermis plays an important role in light energy absorption and photothermal effects. The vein diameter changes after HILT application indicated that the increase in vessel diameter may partly depend on photothermal mechanisms occurring in irradiated tissue. Further research is necessary to describe the physiological and clinical effects of HILT performed on pigmented and non-pigmented skin.

Keywords: fetlock joint; high-intensity laser therapy; physiotherapy; skin surface temperature; thermography.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of thermographic image of the lateral aspect of the right non-pigmented hindlimb fetlock joint taken after HILT. The rectangular area (R1) indicates the average surface temperature of 31.7 °C.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Example of ultrasound images of the lateral palmar digital vein with diameter measurement of the left pigmented hindlimb fetlock joint taken before (on the left) and after HILT (on the right).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Differences in values of skin surface temperature and vein diameter after HILT application in group A and group B and the Mann–Whitney U test results. ΔTavg, differences in values of skin surface temperature after HILT; ΔDavg, differences in values of vein diameter after HILT.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation between the differences in values of skin surface temperature and vein diameter after HILT application in group A and group B, and results of Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. ΔTavg, differences in values of skin surface temperature after HILT; ΔDavg, differences in values of vein diameter after HILT.
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