Evaluation of novel nonlaser light source for endometrial ablation using 5-aminolevulinic acid

This research evaluated the effectiveness of a new nonlaser prototype short-arc lamp to achieve photodynamic ablation of endometrium in a rat.

Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), the precursor to the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX, was injected into the left uterine horn and vehicle alone (Hyskon) was injected into the right horn of 23 rats (group 1). An additional seven rats received vehicle only into both uterine horns (group 2). Three hours later, a cylindrical diffusing optical fiber was inserted into the lumen of the uterine horns, and light treatment was delivered from either a laser or a nonlaser light source. Rats in group 1 received either 1 hour (n = 15) or 10 minutes (n = 8) of light treatment into both uterine horns. In rats in group 2, the left horn was exposed to 1 hour of light treatment. Uterine tissues were examined histologically 4 days after light treatment.

One hour of light exposure to the uterine horns injected with ALA produced extensive necrosis of the rat uterine wall. No difference in the magnitude of destruction was seen between the groups treated with the laser and nonlaser light sources. Ten minutes of light exposure resulted in endometrial ablation that was comparable in both the laser- and the prototype-treated groups, but the destruction of the deepest layers of the uterine wall was more consistent in the group treated with the nonlaser prototype. One hour of light treatment from either light source did not result in any histological changes in the uterine horns not exposed to ALA.

The extent of endometrial ablation in the rat uterine horn achieved with the nonlaser prototype was comparable to that achieved with the laser. Thus, the nonlaser prototype may provide a less expensive approach to photodynamic endometrial ablation.