Laser effects on myelinated and nonmyelinated fibers in the rat peroneal nerve: a quantitative ultrastructural analysis.

We have recently shown that Nd:YAG laser irradiation of rat peripheral nerve differentially impairs action potential transmission in small, slowly conducting sensory fibers compared to fast conducting afferents. In addition, the number of small sensory neurons of the A-delta- and C-fiber group labeled with HRP is significantly reduced after laser irradiation, while the number of labeled large sensory neurons and motoneurons was not affected. To further evaluate this laser-induced injury, we examined three distinct regions of the laser-irradiated rat peroneal nerve using ultrastructural morphometric methods. These regions were the site of laser irradiation and zones 10 mm proximal and 5 mm distal to the injury. The contralateral nerve was sham treated. Our results indicate that for the small nonmyelinated fibers, there was a significant increase in both mean fiber size and the number of microtubules per fiber, but a decrease in the number of neurofilaments. In contrast, the number of myelinated and nonmyelinated fibers is not significantly altered at 7 days following laser irradiation, and the mean diameter and frequency distribution of myelinated nerve fibers was unchanged. This study demonstrates that selective functional alterations in laser-irradiated nerves (nerve conduction velocity, HRP transport properties) are accompanied by ultrastructural changes of axonal organelles in nonmyelinated fibers. Nd:YAG laser light might ultimately prove to be a powerful tool to selectively alter functional properties in small, slowly conducting afferent fibers, without causing degeneration at the ultrastructural level at the site of irradiation. We hypothesize further that the laser-induced functional alterations might be related to differential thermally mediated changes.