Low-level Laser Therapy for Genitourinary Syndromes and Stress Urinary Incontinence

November 13, 2023 updated by: National Taiwan University Hospital

The Efficacy of Low-level Laser Therapy in Relieving Vaginal Dryness and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

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.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

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.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
41

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 100
        • Pei-chi Wu

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The consecutive women who received LLLT at the gynecologic outpatient clinic were retrospectively reviewed. Menopause was defined as no spontaneous menstruation for at least one year. GSM is defined as vulvovaginal dryness and related symptoms, such as irritation, dyspareunia, or lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) including urinary urgency, dysuria, and recurrent urinary tract infection after menopause. SUI was defined as involuntary loss of urine on effort or physical exertion including sporting activities, or on sneezing or coughing.

Description

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.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
genitourinary symptoms of menopause
Women with genitourinary symptoms of menopause (GSM). Menopause was defined as no spontaneous menstruation for at least one year. GSM defined as vulvovaginal dryness and related symptoms, such as irritation, dyspareunia, or lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) including urinary urgency, dysuria and recurrent urinary tract infection after menopause .
Device: Low-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).
stress urinary incontinence
Women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). SUI was defined as involuntary loss of urine on effort or physical exertion including sporting activities, or on sneezing or coughing.
Device: Low-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).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vaginal health
Time Frame: 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.
8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Urinary incontinence
Time Frame: 8 weeks
ICIQ-SF: International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form. Scoring scale: 0-21. Higher scores mean a worse outcome.
8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Taiwan University Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Pei-chi Wu, National Taiwan University Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 30, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 14, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 14, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 13, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 13, 2023

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 17, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 17, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 13, 2023

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 202310054RIND

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The datasets analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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