Objective: To evaluate wound healing of incisions created in the upper aerodigestive tract.
Study design and setting: In this prospective and blind study, 186 adult rats were assigned to six groups to create incisions in the tongue. In the first three groups, the wounds were made with a steel scalpel; no substance was applied to the wound in the first group, but N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate was applied in the second group, and trichloroacetic acid at 50 percent in the third group. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth groups, the wounds were caused by cryosurgery, electrocautery, and CO(2) laser. Hemostasis, postoperative oral intake, and wound healing were measured. Statistical analysis was performed with analysis of variance.
Results: The wounds to which N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate was applied showed no hemorrhaging and faster reepithelialization and resolution of the inflammatory response.
Conclusions: N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate is a good hemostatic for managing wounds in the oral mucosa provoked by steel scalpel.