MORPHOMETRICAL CHANGES OF THE GROWTH PLATE AFTER A SINGLE DOSE HeNe LASER IRRADIATION IN WISTAR RAT

Abstract
We analyse the results in 60 wistar rats, divided in four groups : three of them were irradiated with Helium-Neon (He-Ne) laser in the proximal fibular growth plate, with the following energy densities : 3.6, 5.4, and 7.2 J/cm², and the fourth one, received no irradiation, as a control group. The results were collected 2, 4 and 8 days after irradiation, for all groups, studying some morphological parameter like cell number, cell area, and depth of the proliferative and hypertrophic layers of growth plate. The results showed an increase of all parameters in the proliferative layer, particulary in the 7.2 J/cm² group, when analyzed after 8 days. These results strongly suggest an stimulative effect of He-Ne laser on the growth plate. Higher energies and longer periods of time should be tested, trying to asses an increasing effect an its duration.