Vaginal therapy of mild and moderate stress urinary incontinence using Er:YAG laser: a real treatment option

To evaluate the effectiveness of vaginal Er:YAG laser as treatment in patients with mild or moderate stress urinary incontinence.

The study was a prospective, non-randomised, single center study of 33 women treated with two Er:YAG laser applications on an interval of four weeks. Follow-up evaluations were performed 4 and 8 weeks and 6 months after the first vaginal Er:YAG laser application (4 weeks and 5 months after the second vaginal Er:YAG laser application, respectively). The subjective outcomes were assessed using the International Consultation of Incontinence Modular Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF) and medical history. Patients rated their quality of life on a scale from 0 to 10.

The average quality of life (QoL) showed a significant improvement 5 months after both Er:YAG laser applications. The mean QoL score was 6.0 (SD 2.4) and improved to a mean of 7.6 (SD 1.8) (p = 0.004). The mean ICIQ-SF score changed significantly from 12.3 (SD 3.2, median 13, range 8-18) before treatment to 6.8 (SD 4.0, median 7, range 0-15) 6 months after treatment (p <0.001). 24 patients out of 32 (75%) would again choose to have this therapy performed and 25 patients of 32 (78%) would recommend the vaginal Er:YAG laser therapy to a friend. The rate of side effects was low and none of the patients needed a medical treatment.

This study confirms that vaginal Er:YAG therapy can improve clinical and quality of life outcomes in patients with SUI.