Comparative experimental study of argon plasma and bipolar coagulation techniques

Summary Background. Argon plasma coagulation (APC) is based on the principle of ionised argon creating conductive plasma between an activating electrode and tissue surface and is used as an effective alternative coagulation technique in various surgical disciplines. This trial aims to compare thermal injury in rat brain caused by APC and conventional bipolar coagulation technique. Methods. A controlled study design with constant power setting and application time was established. Twenty rats were randomised into the APC and bipolar groups. Each group of ten rats had 20 treated lesions. Early and late histopathological changes, as well as maximum extent of the lesion after 48 hours (h) and 12 days were studied in overall 20 lesions. Findings. Although the maximum depth of the lesions was different in APC (2.2 mm) and bipolar (1.8 mm) groups after 48 h, this did not achieve statistical significance (p = 0.151). The superficially coagulated area was significantly larger after APC compared with the bipolar technique at the 48 h time point (p = 0.032). After twelve days there were no differences in penetration depth (p = 0.310) or coagulated area (p = 0.222). Conclusion. Tissue defects after APC application on rat brains were comparable to conventional bipolar technique in this trial. The results suggest that argon plasma coagulation (APC) is an effective coagulation technique.