Comparison of Er:YAG and CO laser therapy for women with stress urinary incontinence.

Lasers Surg Med

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, and Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, ROC.

Published: September 2023

AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Er:YAG and CO laser therapies in treating female stress urinary incontinence (SUI), involving 139 women divided into four treatment groups based on the type and number of therapy sessions.
  • - Results showed significant improvement in urinary incontinence symptoms for all groups, with the Er:YAG laser proving more effective than the CO laser, particularly after three months post-treatment.
  • - The conclusion suggests that vaginal laser therapy, especially the Er:YAG type, could be a promising alternative for treating mild to moderate SUI, but more extensive research is necessary to validate these findings.

Article Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of Er:YAG and CO laser therapies for treating female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods: This retrospective study included 139 women who were divided into four groups: group 1 received two therapy sessions with the Er:YAG laser, group 2 received two therapy sessions with the CO laser, group 3 received one therapy session with the Er:YAG laser, and group 4 received one therapy session with the CO laser. Patients completed three questionnaires to assess SUI symptom severity at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after laser therapy.

Results: Urinary incontinence symptoms significantly improved in groups 1 and 2 at both the 1- and 3-month follow-up evaluations compared to the baseline (p < 0.001). Symptoms improved after one therapy session in groups 3 and 4 at the 3-month follow-up (p < 0.001). The Er:YAG laser was more effective than the CO laser in improving SUI symptoms (Urogenital Distress Inventory 6 and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire 7) 3 months after treatment, regardless of the number of sessions. Both Er:YAG and CO laser therapies were found to be effective in reducing symptoms associated with an overactive bladder, as demonstrated by improvements in overactive bladder symptom scores. Two sessions of laser therapy were more effective than one.

Conclusion: Vaginal laser therapy could be an effective alternative treatment for mild to moderate SUI. The Er:YAG laser was more effective than CO laser therapy, with results lasting for at least 3 months. However, further large-scale, randomized, controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lsm.23694DOI Listing

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