SynthesisJournal of lower genital tract disease2019
The Clinical Role of LASER for Vulvar and Vaginal Treatments in Gynecology and Female Urology: An ICS/ISSVD Best Practice Consensus Document.
Synthesis in Journal of lower genital tract disease, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the role of laser therapy for stress urinary incontinence: a literature review.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Let's talk about sex: consensus guidelines of the GINECOR working group of the Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology: clinical recommendations after pelvic radiotherapy.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025Guideline
- Laser Therapy for Sexual Health in Breast Cancer Survivors Receiving Aromatase Inhibitors: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Fractional COInternational urogynecology journal · 2023Trial
- The efficacy and safety of a single maintenance laser treatment for stress urinary incontinence: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial.International urogynecology journal · 2022Trial
- A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of Intravaginal and Extravaginal K-Laser Therapy as a Personalized Non-Hormonal Treatment for Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause.Journal of personalized medicine · 2026Article
- The 2025 Menopausal Hormone Therapy Guidelines - Korean Society of Menopause.Journal of menopausal medicine · 2025Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Non-Ablative Dual Wavelength Diode Laser Therapy for Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: A Single-Center Prospective Study.Advances in therapy · 2024Observational
- The Efficacy of COJournal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Laser Therapy for Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus, a Systematic Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- The evidence behind the use of LASER for genitourinary syndrome of menopause, vulvovaginal atrophy, urinary incontinence and lichen sclerosus: A state-of-the-art review.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2022Review
- Microablative Erbium: YAG Laser Therapy for Vulvodynia - A Report on Efficacy, Safety, and Treatment Satisfaction.Sexual medicine · 2021Article
- Laser therapy for genital lichen sclerosus: A systematic review of the current evidence base.Skin health and disease · 2021Article
- The Fractional COLasers in surgery and medicine · 2021Article
- The Effect of the COJournal of lasers in medical sciences · 2020Article
- Maintaining vulvar, vaginal and perineal health: Clinical considerations.Women's health (London, England)Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 13 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
Abstract
In this best practice document, we propose recommendations for the use of LASER for gynecologic and urologic conditions such as vulvovaginal atrophy, urinary incontinence, vulvodynia, and lichen sclerosus based on a thorough literature review. Most of the available studies are limited by their design; for example, they lack a control group, patients are not randomized, follow-up is short term, series are small, LASER is not compared with standard treatments, and most studies are industry sponsored. Because of these limitations, the level of evidence for the use of LASER in the treatment of these conditions remains low and does not allow for definitive recommendations for its use in routine clinical practice. Histological evidence is commonly reported as proof of tissue regeneration after LASER treatment. However, the histological changes noted can also be consistent with reparative changes after a thermal injury rather than necessarily representing regeneration or restoration of function. The use of LASER in women with vulvodynia or lichen sclerosus should not be recommended in routine clinical practice. There is no biological plausibility or safety data on its use on this population of women. The available clinical studies do not present convincing data regarding the efficacy of LASER for the treatment of vaginal atrophy or urinary incontinence. Also, although short-term complications seem to be uncommon, data concerning long-term outcomes are lacking. Therefore, at this point, LASER is not recommended for routine treatment of the aforementioned conditions unless part of well-designed clinical trials or with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent, and audit.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.