Somewhere in Taiwan, a group of scientist and researchers had been studying this treatment of mucocele of the lower lip with the aid of a carbon dioxide laser and by a medical microscope. A mucocele, also referred to as mucus extravasation phenomenon, is said to be a swelling of connective tissue consisting of collected mucin from a ruptured salivary gland duct, which is usually caused by local trauma.
The mucocele is a bluish translucent color, and is more commonly found in children and young adults. Mucins are a family of large, heavily glycosylated proteins. Even though some mucins are membrane-bound due to the presence of a hydrophobic membrane-spanning domain that favors retention in the plasma membrane, the concentration here is on those mucins that are secreted on mucosal surfaces and saliva. Mucin genes are said to encode mucin monomers that are synthesized as rod-shape apomucin cores that are post-translationally modified by exceptionally abundant glycosylation.
The dense sugar coating of mucins gives them considerable water-holding capacity and also makes them resistant to proteolysis, which may be important in maintaining mucosal barriers. Microscopically, mucoceles appears as granulation tissue surrounding mucin. Since inflammation occurs concurrently, neutrophils and foamy histiocytes usually are present. Others are chronic and require surgical removal. Recurrence may occur, and thus the adjacent salivary gland is excised as a preventive measure. Quite a few types of procedures are available for the surgical removal of mucoceles. These include laser and minimally invasive techniques, which means recovery times, are reduced drastically.
The most common position to find a mucocele is the surface of the lower lip. It can also be found on the inner side of the cheek also known as the buccal mucosa, on the anterior ventral tongue, and the floor of the mouth. When found on the floor of the mouth, the mucocele is referred to as a ranula. They are rarely found on the upper lip. This group of scientists has used equipment called the carbon dioxide laser. The carbon dioxide laser was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed, and is still one of the most useful.
The laser with the aid of medical microscope can be constructed to have CW powers between milliwatts and hundreds of kilowatts. Carbon dioxide lasers with the aid of medical microscope are the highest-power continuous wave lasers that are currently available. The carbon dioxide laser is a laser that produces a beam of infrared light with the principal wavelength bands. They have tested it a lot of patients with biopsy-confirmed mucocele of the lower lip and had an outcome that were complications so rare, except for mild discomfort. One felt impermanent numbness at the operative site. There was no bleeding and minimal scar formation as they have finished their test. They have concluded that carbon dioxide laser treatment to treat the mucocele of the lower lip is much more effective and has lesser complications. Because the operative time is shorter than with the excisional technique, it is especially good for children and for less cooperative infected people with this lesion. Here is a link to the article