ReviewLife (Basel, Switzerland)2023
Laser Therapy for Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus, a Systematic Review.
Review in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and Safety of Laser Treatment in Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: A Systematic Review.Lasers in surgery and medicine · 2025Pooled it
- One-year outcome after laser treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus: a prospective observational trial.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2026Trial
- Predicting phototherapy efficacy in vulvar lichen sclerosus using high-frequency ultrasound combined with superb microvascular imaging.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- State of the Art for Regenerative Management of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2025Article
- Energies and new technologies in pelvic and pelvic floor dysfunctions.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2025Review
- High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Treatment of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025Article
- Multidisciplinary Vulvar Cancer Management: The Dermatologist's Perspective.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Efficacy of Fractional COLife (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Mechanism, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Novelties in Dermatology: Where Are We Going?Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Blue diode laser as supportive therapy for the management of vulvar lichen sclerosus.Dermatology reports · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects the anogenital area, with a higher incidence in post-menopausal women. In the long term, it can lead to loss of vulvar architecture or progress to squamous cell carcinoma. The evidence-based treatment involves high-potency topical corticosteroids in long regimens. However, second-line treatments are not well-established, including laser therapy. This current study aims to assess the level of evidence supporting this therapy. We conducted a search for primary-level studies published before April 2023 through MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and CENTRAL, with no restrictions on the publication language or date. The methodological quality and risk of bias of the included studies were evaluated using the updated Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias (RoB-2). Six studies (177 patients) met our eligibility criteria. Laser therapy was compared to topical corticosteroid treatment in five out of six studies. No significant histological differences were found, except for an increase in collagen production in the laser group. A greater reduction in itching, pain, and dyspareunia at 1 and 3 months of treatment in the laser group, as well as in the Skindex-29 at 6 months, was reported. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher among those who received laser therapy. Tolerability was excellent. No significant differences were observed in any of the previous aspects in the study compared to the placebo. In conclusion, there is not enough evidence to recommend laser therapy as a standalone treatment.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.