Laser Therapy for Treatment of Urogenital Symptoms in Women

PGI-I score is recorded 4 weeks after initial treatment completion. The PGI-I asks the patient to "check the box that best describes how your urinary and/or vaginal symptoms are now, compared with how you symptoms were before you began this study." There are 7 possible responses ranging from 1 to 7, where 1 is "Very Much Better", 2 is "Much Better, 3 is "A Little Bit Better", 4 is "No Change", 5 is "A Little Worse", 6 is "Much Worse", and 7 is "Very Much Worse". A score from 1 to 3 would indicate improvement.

The average change in patients' PGI-I scores from baseline to 6 months and 36 months post-treatment. The PGI-I asks the patient to "check the one number that best describes how your urinary tract condition is now compared with how it was before your treatment." There are 7 possible responses ranging from 1 to 7, where 1 is "Very Much Better" and 7 is "Very Much Worse". A lower score would represent improvement and a favorable outcome.

The Vaginal Health Inventory Score (VHIS) is an assessment tool, used by providers, to determine if vaginal atrophy is present. Providers perform a vaginal exam and give a score of 1-5 (abnormal to normal, respectively) on each of the following vaginal parameters: elasticity, secretion/fluid volume, vaginal pH, integrity of the epithelium, and lubrication/moisture of the vaginal wall. The total VHIS score is a sum of the individual scores of these 5 vaginal parameters. The minimum score is 5 and the maximum score is 25. A score of 5-14 indicates the presence of vaginal atrophy, while a score of 15-25 indicates normal healthy vaginal tissue. For this outcome measure we reported the change in VHIS between 6 months and baseline. A positive number means that vaginal tissue is healthier at 6 months compared to baseline.

The Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID) consists of 2 sections: section 1 are three questions related to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and section 2 are three questions related to Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI). This outcome measure is focused on the SUI score only (QUID-SUI). Patients are asked how often they leak urine in three different situations. Responses range from 0 = none of the time, to 5 = all of the time. The total QUID-SUI score ranges from 0 - 15, with a higher score meaning more frequent urinary leakage in response to a stress event (e.g. cough, lifting, exercise). Here we report the change in QUID-SUI score from 6 months to baseline. A negative number means the QUID stress urinary incontinence score has gone down and severity of SUI his better at 6 months compared to baseline.

For this outcome measure, we used the OAB-q SF, which consists of two scales assessing symptom bother and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with OAB. In this outcome measure we specifically look at the symptom bother scale that consists of 6 questions. Each question asks about the level of bother related to a specific symptom (e.g. urgency, frequency, nighttime urination and leakage). The patient rates the degree of bother on a 6-point scale with 1 = Not at all and 6 = A very great deal. The scores of the 6 questions are added and converted to a 100-point scale. The symptom bother score ranges from 0-100. A higher score is associated with a high degree of bother. For this outcome measure, we report the change in the mean symptom bother scale from 6 months to baseline. A negative change means that the degree of symptom bother decreased at 6 months compared to before treatment.

A 3-day voiding diary will be completed by the patient and evaluated to describe urinary frequency (number of voids) and incontinence episodes. The change in number of voids over a 3 day period at 6 months minus baseline will be measured. A negative number means the number of voids went down compared to baseline.

The FSFI consists of 6 subscales related to sexual desire (2 Qs scale 1 worst - 5 best), arousal (4Qs 0 worst - 5 best), lubrication (4Qs 0 worst-5 best), orgasm (3Qs 0 worst - 5 best), satisfaction ( 3Qs 0 worst - 5 best), and pain (3 Qs 0 worst - 5 best). Higher scores indicate higher sexual functioning. Scores range from 2-36. A score of 26.55 has been clinically selected as the cut-off for sexual dysfunction. Scores below this value indicate sexual dysfunction. The overall change is measured at 6 months minus baseline. A positive score means the sexual dysfunction symptoms are getting worse. Only people that had sexual activity were included.

A clean catch urine specimen will be collected at each visit. A positive urine dipstick test will have the presence of leukocytes and nitrites accompanied by symptoms (dysuria, bladder pain, and/or urinary frequency) and will be sent for a culture. A positive urine culture has the presence of bacterial growth. Only patients that reported recurrent UTI's - 4 or more in the past year (i.e. had 4 or more positive urine cultures in a year) at baseline with an occurrence of a positive urine culture at or before 6 months post-initial treatment will be counted.

The GAD-7 is a self-reported questionnaire for screening and measuring severity of generalized anxiety disorder. There are 7 questions total asking how often the patient has been bothered by certain problems over the past 2 weeks. Each answer is scored on a scale from 0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day. All scores are added up to calculate the total score which ranges from 0 - 21. Total scores greater than or equal to 10 indicate moderate anxiety and further assessment is recommended. In this outcome measure we report the change in GAD-7 score between 6 months and baseline. A negative number means a reduction in GAD-7 score and therefore a reduction in anxiety/depression at 6 months compared to before treatment.

The PHQ-8 is an eight-item questionnaire that measures the severity of depression symptoms over the past 2 weeks. For each of the questions, the patient is asked the rate how often they are bothered by a specific problem (e.g. sleep disturbance, fatigue, appetite change, low-self esteem, poor concentration). Each question is scored from 0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day. The scores of each question are added together to form the total score, which ranges from 0 - 24. The higher the score, the more severe depressive symptoms are. A score of 10 or greater is commonly used to indicate the presence of clinically significant depressive symptoms. Here we report the change in score between 6 months and baseline. A negative number means there is a reduction in PHQ8 score at 6 months compared to before treatment and therefore a reduction in depression.

The Incontinence Quality of Life Questionnaire (I-QOL) is a validated tool to assess the impact of urinary incontinence problems. The I-QOL has 22 incontinent-specific quality of life items. The 22 items are broken down into 3 subscales: Avoidance and Limiting Behaviors Score (8 of the 22 items), Psychosocial Impacts Score (9 of the 22 items), and Social Embarrassment Score (5 of the 22 items). Each question has a five-point ordinal response scale: 1= Extremely, 2= Quite a Bit, 3= Moderately, 4= A Little, and 5= Not at All. All 22 items are summed up, and the sum is converted to a 100-point scale. The range of the score is 0-100, with a high score indicating a better quality of life. In this outcome measure we report the change in the I-QOL score at 6 months minus the score at baseline. A positive score indicates that the quality of life improved at 6 months compared to before treatment.

A vaginal exam is completed at 6 months. In some cases the 6 month visit was completed remotely and thus a vaginal exam was not completed. Presence or absence of lactobacillus will be collected by the physician via a vaginal swab and assessed under the microscope of the patients that had a vaginal exam completed. This is the total number of patients positive for lactobacillus at 6 months.

The average change in patients' PGI-I scores from baseline to 6 months and 36 months post-treatment. The PGI-I asks the patient to "check the one number that best describes how your urinary tract condition is now compared with how it was before your treatment." There are 7 possible responses ranging from 1 to 7, where 1 is "Very Much Better" and 7 is "Very Much Worse". A lower score would represent improvement and a favorable outcome.

The Vaginal Health Inventory Score (VHIS) is an assessment tool, used by providers, to determine if vaginal atrophy is present. Providers perform a vaginal exam and give a score of 1-5 (abnormal to normal, respectively) on each of the following vaginal parameters: elasticity, secretion/fluid volume, vaginal pH, integrity of the epithelium, and lubrication/moisture of the vaginal wall. The total VHIS score is a sum of the individual scores of these 5 vaginal parameters. The scale ranges from 5-25. A score of 5-14 indicates the presence of vaginal atrophy, while a score of 15-25 indicates normal/healthy vaginal tissue. For this outcome measure we reported the change in VHIS between 36 months and baseline. A positive number means that vaginal tissue is healthier at 36 months compared to baseline.

The Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID) consists of 2 sections: section 1 are three questions related to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and section 2 are three questions related to Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI). This outcome measure is focused on the SUI score only (QUID-SUI). Patients are asked how often they leak urine in three different situations. Responses range from 0 = none of the time, to 5 = all of the time. The total QUID-SUI score ranges from 0 - 15, with a higher score meaning more frequent urinary leakage in response to a stress event (e.g. cough, lifting, exercise). Here we report the change in QUID-SUI score from 36 months to baseline. A negative number means the QUID stress urinary incontinence score has gone down and severity of SUI his better at 36 months compared to baseline.

The Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID) consists of 2 sections: section 1 are three questions related to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and section 2 are three questions related to Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI). This outcome measure is focused on the UUI score only (QUID-UUI). Patients are asked how often they leak urine in three different situations related to urgency. Responses range from 0 = none of the time, to 5 = all of the time. The total QUID-UUI score ranges from 0 - 15, with a higher score meaning more frequent urinary leakage due to urgency. Here we report the change in QUID-UUI score from 6 months to baseline. A negative number means the QUID urge urinary incontinence score has gone down and severity of UUI has improved at 6 months compared to before treatment.

The Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID) consists of 2 sections: section 1 are three questions related to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and section 2 are three questions related to Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI). This outcome measure is focused on the UUI score only (QUID-UUI). Patients are asked how often they leak urine in three different situations related to urgency. Responses range from 0 = none of the time, to 5 = all of the time. The total QUID-UUI score ranges from 0 - 15, with a higher score meaning more frequent urinary leakage due to urgency. Here we report the change in QUID-UUI score from 36 months to baseline. A negative number means the QUID urge urinary incontinence score has gone down and severity of UUI has improved at 36 months compared to before treatment.

For this outcome measure, we used the OAB-q SF, which consists of two scales assessing symptom bother and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with OAB. In this outcome measure we specifically look at the health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) scale that consists of 13 questions. Each question asks how the patient's quality of life has been impacted. The patient rates the degree of impact on a 6-point scale with 1 = Not at all and 6 = A very great deal. The scores of the 13 questions are added and converted to a 100-point scale. The HR-QOL score ranges from 0-100. A higher score is associated with a better quality of life. For this outcome measure, we report the change in the mean HR-QOL score for 36 months minus baseline. A positive change means that the quality of life became better by 36 months as compared to before treatment.

For this outcome measure, we used the OAB-q SF, which consists of two scales assessing symptom bother and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with OAB. In this outcome measure we specifically look at the symptom bother scale that consists of 6 questions. Each question asks about the level of bother related to a specific symptom (e.g. urgency, frequency, nighttime urination and leakage). The patient rates the degree of bother on a 6-point scale with 1 = Not at all and 6 = A very great deal. The scores of the 6 questions are added and converted to a 100-point scale. The symptom bother score ranges from 0-100. A higher score is associated with a high degree of bother. For this outcome measure, we report the change in the mean symptom bother scale from 36 months to baseline. A negative change means that the degree of symptom bother decreased at 36 months compared to before treatment.

For this outcome measure, we used the OAB-q SF, which consists of two scales assessing symptom bother and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with OAB. In this outcome measure we specifically look at the health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) scale that consists of 13 questions. Each question asks how the patient's quality of life has been impacted. The patient rates the degree of impact on a 6-point scale with 1 = Not at all and 6 = A very great deal. The scores of the 13 questions are added and converted to a 100-point scale. The HR-QOL score ranges from 0-100. A higher score is associated with a better quality of life. For this outcome measure, we report the change in the mean HR-QOL score for 6 months minus baseline. A positive change means that the quality of life became better by 6 months as compared to before treatment.

A 3-day voiding diary will be completed by the patient and evaluated to describe urinary frequency (number of voids) and incontinence episodes. The change in number of voids over a 3 day period at 36 months minus baseline will be measured. A negative number means the number of voids went down compared to baseline.

A 3-day voiding diary will be completed by the patient and evaluated to describe incontinence episodes (number of stress urinary incontinence occurrences). The change in number of stress urinary incontinence episodes over a 3 day period at 6 months minus baseline will be measured. A negative number means the number of stress urinary incontinence events went down compared to baseline.

A 3-day voiding diary will be completed by the patient and evaluated to describe incontinence episodes (number of stress urinary incontinence occurrences). The change in number of stress urinary incontinence episodes over a 3 day period at 36 months minus baseline will be measured. A negative number means the number of stress urinary incontinence events went down compared to baseline.

A 3-day voiding diary will be completed by the patient and evaluated to describe incontinence episodes (number of urge urinary incontinence events). The change in number of urge urinary incontinence events over a 3 day period at 6 months minus baseline will be measured. A negative number means the number of urge urinary incontinence events went down compared to baseline.

A 3-day voiding diary will be completed by the patient and evaluated to describe incontinence episodes (number of urge urinary incontinence events). The change in number of urge urinary incontinence events over a 3 day period at 36 months minus baseline will be measured. A negative number means the number of urge urinary incontinence events went down compared to baseline.

The GAD-7 is a self-reported questionnaire for screening and measuring severity of generalized anxiety disorder. There are 7 questions total asking how often the patient has been bothered by certain problems over the past 2 weeks. Each answer is scored on a scale from 0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day. All scores are added up to calculate the total score which ranges from 0 - 21. Total scores greater than or equal to 10 indicate moderate anxiety and further assessment is recommended. In this outcome measure we report the change in GAD-7 score between 36 months and baseline. A negative number means a reduction in GAD-7 score and therefore a reduction in anxiety/depression at 36 months compared to before treatment.

The PHQ-8 is an eight-item questionnaire that measures the severity of depression symptoms over the past 2 weeks. For each of the questions, the patient is asked the rate how often they are bothered by a specific problem (e.g. sleep disturbance, fatigue, appetite change, low-self esteem, poor concentration). Each question is scored from 0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day. The scores of each question are added together to form the total score, which ranges from 0 - 24. The higher the score, the more severe depressive symptoms are. A score of 10 or greater is commonly used to indicate the presence of clinically significant depressive symptoms. Here we report the change in score between 36 months and baseline. A negative number means there is a reduction in PHQ8 score at 36 months compared to before treatment and therefore a reduction in depression.

The FSFI consists of 6 subscales related to sexual desire (2 Qs scale 1 worst - 5 best), arousal (4Qs 0 worst - 5 best), lubrication (4Qs 0 worst-5 best), orgasm (3Qs 0 worst - 5 best), satisfaction ( 3Qs 0 worst - 5 best), and pain (3 Qs 0 worst - 5 best). Higher scores indicate higher sexual functioning. Scores range from 2-36. A score of 26.55 has been clinically selected as the cut-off for sexual dysfunction. Scores below this value indicate sexual dysfunction. The change is measured as the difference at 36 months minus baseline. A positive score means the sexual dysfunction symptoms are getting worse. Only people that had sexual activity were included.

A clean catch urine specimen will be collected at each visit. A positive urine dipstick test will have the presence of leukocytes and nitrites accompanied by symptoms (dysuria, bladder pain, and/or urinary frequency) and will be sent for a culture. A positive urine culture has the presence of bacterial growth. Only patients that reported recurrent UTI's - 4 or more in the past year (i.e. had 4 or more positive urine cultures in a year) at baseline with an occurrence of a positive urine culture after 6 months but before or at 36 months post-initial treatment will be counted.

A vaginal exam is completed at 36 months. In some cases the 36 month visit was completed remotely and thus a vaginal exam was not completed. Presence or absence of lactobacillus will be collected by the physician via a vaginal swab and assessed under the microscope of the patients that had a vaginal exam completed. This is the total number of patients positive for lactobacillus at 36 months.

The Incontinence Quality of Life Questionnaire (I-QOL) is a validated tool to assess the impact of urinary incontinence problems. The I-QOL has 22 incontinent-specific quality of life items all having the following five-point ordinal response scale: 1= Extremely, 2= Quite a Bit, 3= Moderately, 4= A Little, and 5= Not at All. All 22 items are summed up, and the sum is converted to a 100-point scale. The range of the score is 0-100, with a high score indicating a better quality of life. In this outcome measure we report the change in the I-QOL score at 36 months minus the score at baseline. A positive score indicates that the quality of life improved at 36 months compared to before treatment.