Treatment of Vaginal Atrophy With Low Intensity Nanosecond Neodymium Laser
brief summary
The aim of study is characteristic of changes in the vaginal wall after treatment of neodymium laser radiation with a wavelength of 1064 nm. To assess the condition of the vaginal walls before and after laser treatment, the following methods will be used: vaginal health index, perineometry, measurement of the vaginal wall thickness by ultrasound, Doppler sonography of the vaginal walls vessels, optical coherence tomography, biopsy, cytological and immunocytochemical methods. The King's Health Questionnaire will be used to collect feedback on changes in the participants life quality. Total up to 100 participants with and 20 participants without postmenopausal atrophy will be involved in the study. Participants will be divided into three groups: laser treatment (study group), topical hormones treatment (control group 1) and no treatment (control group 2) by 70, 30 and 20 participants in each group respectively. The time intervals between special tests and the tests themselves will be the same for all groups. Thus, a direct comparison between conventional treatment (topical hormones), laser treatment of the vaginal atrophy and normal condition without treatment will be made. The main hypothesis of the study is improvement in condition of the vaginal walls after laser treatment compared with the initial state of not less than thirty percent of participants, and improvement in condition on average compared with the control group.
detailed description
The principle of participant distribution into groups is the main method of treatment of postmenopausal vaginal atrophy. Total up to 100 participants with and 20 participants without postmenopausal atrophy will be involved in the study. Participants will be divided into three groups: laser treatment (study group), topical hormones treatment (control group 1), and no treatment (control group 2) by 70, 30, and 20 participants in each respectively.
The types of examination of each group are the same and include:
* General methods: clinical blood analysis, clinical urine test, vaginal smear for flora, femoflor screen (method is intended for the study of vaginal microbiocenosis), cervical oncocytology test, extended colposcopy, pelvic ultrasound. * Special methods: filling out the questionnaire (King's Health Questionnaire), Vaginal Health Index, ultrasound for assessing blood vessels (Doppler sonography) and vaginal wall thickness, perineometry, optical coherence tomography (OCT), vaginal smear for immunocytochemical examination and cytology.
The TREATMENT PROCEDURE of this study is the laser treatment of the vagina and vulva with a "Magic Max" laser ("Magic Gyno" from August 2024) with subsequent monitoring.
Treatment Technique:
Laser treatment procedure will be carried out in three stages. In total, three procedures will be performed with an interval of 4-6 weeks. Three follow-up visits will follow: 1, 3 (mandatory) and 6 (optional) months after the last procedure.
During the procedure, the following sequence of actions will be performed:
1. st Stage - vaginal processing with a conical mirror handpiece, 2. nd Stage - vaginal processing with a corner mirror handpiece, 3. d Stage - external vulva and paraurethral region processing with a switched beam diameter handpiece.
Laser radiation is emitted by a series of pulses following each other through a pause. The duration of one pulse is 20-200 nanoseconds (ns), the pause between pulses is 30 microseconds (us). The energy of one pulse is about 1 millijoule (mJ). The procedure is performed without anesthesia. The doctor always focuses on the participant's feeling of warmth.
The CONTROL PROCEDURE. Local hormone therapy with estriol will be used as a therapeutic tool for the control group. The course of treatment will be of 2 weeks of daily use, and then a maintenance therapy, when the suppository will be used of 2 times a week for 1.5-2 months to prevent symptoms.
official title
Study of the Efficiency and Safety of Low-Intensity Neodymium Laser Radiation With a Nanosecond Pulse Duration for Treatment of the Vaginal Walls Atrophic Changes