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Reasons for doubt Search the Internet for relevant laser
therapy studies, and you will be hard- pressed to find peer-reviewed reports. That is because “there are practically no scientifically based and methodologi- cally sound studies of laser therapy in cats and dogs,” says Narda G. Robinson, DO, DVM, MS, FAAMA, director of the Center for Comparative and Integrative Pain Medicine at Colorado State Univer- sity’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. One such study, funded by the Morris
Animal Foundation, is under way at the University of Tennessee. Robinson plans to launch a study at Colorado State Uni- versity next year. Although Robinson’s study parameters were not final when this article went to press, she says areas of interest include the effect of laser therapy on back pain, neurologic impair- ment and kidney disease.
In the absence of rigorous studies in
human medicine, the insurance giant Aetna continues to rate laser therapy as experimental and investigational because “there is inadequate evidence of the effectiveness of cold laser therapy and high-power laser therapy in pain relief, in wound healing or for other indications.” In August, calls to four pet health
insurance companies selected at random produced similar responses. The net result is that some clients may decline treatment because their pets’ insurance policies do not provide coverage. This, in turn, might affect your practice’s ROI.
Purchase considerations With an average price of almost
$20,000, therapeutic lasers represent a significant capital expense for any vet- erinary practice. Here are some issues to consider before you buy.
Training, Guide and Tech Support Training Vendor K-LaserUSA K-LaserUSA Dan Scott & Associates, Inc. Model
K-Series K-1200 Class IV Therapy Laser
K-Series K-800 Class IV Therapy Laser
Q Laser System Companion Therapy Laser by LiteCure Companion CTS Therapy System Companion Therapy Laser by LiteCure Companion Therapy Laser by LiteCure Cutting Edge Laser Technologies Grady Medical Systems, Inc. Companion CTL 10 Companion CTL 6 Harmony MLS Therapy Laser GradyVet P-3000 Laser Free initial training? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Training in-house at practice?
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Limit on number of staff trained at no cost? No No No No No No No No
Training tapes or CDs/ DVDs available?
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Trends magazine, November/December 2010
Wavelength Wavelength is the critical variable in determining laser penetration. According to “Low-Level Laser Ther-
apy: An Emerging Clinical Paradigm,” a 2009 study by Huang, Hamblin and Chen published by the International Society for Optical Engineering, “light absorption and scattering in tissue are wavelength dependent, and the principal tissue chromophores (hemoglobin and melanin) have high absorption bands at wavelengths shorter than 600 nm. For these reasons, there is a so-called ‘opti- cal window’ at red and near-infrared wavelengths, where the effective tissue penetration of light is maximal. Thus… [laser therapy] in animals and patients almost exclusively involves red and near-infrared light (600–1,070 nm).”
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