Efficacy of Erbium YAG laser treatment in overactive bladder syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of vaginal Erbium YAG laser in postmenopausal women presenting with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) and vaginal atrophy. Methods A single center, randomized sham-controlled study was conducted between July 2019 and August 2022. Thai postmenopausal women diagnosed with OAB and who complained of one or more of vaginal atrophy symptoms (VAS) were included. The participants received either one treatment session of vaginal Erbium YAG laser or the sham procedure. The primary outcome was the Thai version Overactive Bladder Symptom Score. The secondary outcomes included results from the Thai version Overactive Bladder questionnaire (OAB-q), Patient Perception of Bladder Condition Questionnaire, bladder diary, VAS score, and Vaginal Health Index score (VHI). Outcome measurements were assessed between groups at 12 weeks after treatment. Results Fifty participants were included and randomized. Twenty-five participants were assigned to the vaginal laser group, and 25 to the sham group. At 12-week follow-up, vaginal Erbium YAG laser demonstrated improvement compared with sham group in total Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (6.03 ± 3.36 vs 8.44 ± 3.39, P = 0.015), nocturia (1.71 ± 0.74 vs 2.32 ± 0.70, P = 0.004), and urgency (2 [3] vs 3 [4], P = 0.008). Coping and social subscale of OAB-q, daytime micturition frequency, urgency and maximum urine volume, VAS and VHI scores also significantly improved in the vaginal laser group. Conclusions This study showed the efficacy of the vaginal Erbium YAG laser in treatment of OAB and vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women. The improvement of OAB symptoms scores was confirmed by the bladder diary.