Urinary Incontinence,Stress, Vaginal Atrophy
Conditions
Keywords
Menopause, Stress urinary incontinence, Vaginal atrophy, Low-level laser therapy
Brief summary
Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) are common for women. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) was applied for wound healing, but there was no study regarding treatment effect of GSM and SUI. This retrospective study aims to assess the efficacy of LLLT in alleviating GSM and SUI.
Detailed description
Between September 2022 and August 2023, all women who received LLLT for GSM and SUI at the gynecologic outpatient clinic of a hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The treatment was once a week for eight weeks. Vaginal health index (VHI) and questionnaires before and after treatment for evaluation of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and quality of life are the outcome assessment.
Interventions
DEVICELow-level laser therapy
The treatment was once a week for eight weeks. The patient was in a supine position. The gain medium of the laser was Gallium-Aluminum-Arsenide. The laser was introduced into vagina via a silicon vaginal probe inserted by a doctor for 30 minutes (wavelength 660nm, power density 18.17mW/cm2, energy density 0.018J/cm2s, total energy density 32.4J/cm2).
Sponsors
National Taiwan University Hospital
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
RETROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
20 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* women with GSM and SUI * Received LLLT at the gynecologic outpatient clinic
Exclusion criteria
* More or equal to stage 2 pelvic organ prolapse defined by pelvic organ prolapse-quantification system * Ongoing urinary tract infection or vaginitis with the pathogen in the previous 2 weeks * Bladder calculus * Neurogenic bladder due to radical hysterectomy or injury of the central nervous system * A preexisting malignant pelvic tumor.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Vaginal health | 8 weeks | Vaginal health index, each of these 5 items is evaluated by means of a scale from 1 (none) to 5 (excellent) and then the average of the scores is calculated. A value of ≤15 (= cut-off) is generally considered for the diagnosis of low vaginal health. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Urinary incontinence | 8 weeks | ICIQ-SF: International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form. Scoring scale: 0-21. Higher scores mean a worse outcome. |
Countries
Taiwan
Outcome results
None listed