ArticleSexual medicine2021
Microablative Erbium: YAG Laser Therapy for Vulvodynia - A Report on Efficacy, Safety, and Treatment Satisfaction.
Article in Sexual medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Integrating vaginal laser therapy into multidisciplinary management of bladder pain syndrome and vulvodynia.BMC urology · 2026Review
- Evaluation and Treatment of Vulvodynia: State of the Science.Journal of midwifery & women's health · 2023Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionTreatment for vulvodynia is challenging and a multidisciplinary approach is recommended.
aimTo examine the effectiveness, safety and treatment satisfaction of vulvovaginal microablative laser treatment for vulvodynia.
methodsCase study of women who received laser treatment as part of a multidisciplinary treatment program for vulvodynia. Subjective improvement was compared to a retrospective cohort of women treated for vulvodynia without LASER therapy. LASER treatment was offered to women with vulvodynia presenting to a gynecologic pain clinic of a tertiary university hospital. LASER treatments were performed with a microablative 2,940 nm Er:YAG LASER and potentially repeated after 1 month.
main outcome measuresChange in local vulvar pain was assessed with cotton-swab tests and rated on a numeric rating scale (NRS). Treatment discomfort and short-term adverse events were recorded. The Freiburg Index of Patient Satisfaction was used to assess treatment satisfaction. Subjective symptom improvement was assessed with the Patient Global Impression of Improvement questionnaire.
results35 women received at least 1 laser treatment, with overall mild treatment adverse effects (mean pain NRS 2.4 ± 1.9) and good treatment satisfaction (mean total score of 27.6 ±5.1; potential range 8-32). One month after last LASER treatment the pain NRS on vulvar cotton swab test improved from 6.1 ± 2.6 at baseline to 3.1 ± 2.6 (P < .001), and 74% of women (n = 26) reported symptom improvement. At 9-12 months follow-up 66% reported ongoing symptom improvement, with no significant difference to the control group of 32 women.
conclusionMicroablative Er:YAG vulvovaginal LASER therapy appears safe and well accepted among vulvodynia patients, but there was no significant difference in symptom improvement compared to a control group. Trutnovsky G, Bliem B, Greimel E, et al. Microablative Erbium: YAG Laser Therapy for Vulvodynia - A Report on Efficacy, Safety, and Treatment Satisfaction. Sex Med 2021;9:100432.
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