Novel minimally invasive laser treatment of urinary incontinence in women

Wausau, WI (November 10, 2015) – Research conducted by Urška B. Ogrinc MSc, MD, Sabina Senčar MD and Helena Lenasi PhD, MD was selected as Editor’s Choice in the November 2015 issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (LSM).

The manuscript titled, “Novel minimally invasive laser treatment of urinary incontinence in women” was published in LSM, the official journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS).

Many women suffer from various types and grades of urinary incontinence (UI), especially stress urinary incontinence (SUI), which appears during coughing, sneezing, or physical exertion. Although there are already many therapies for SUI, there is still a need for non-surgical but effective therapy.

“Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a very common disorder. SUI disturbs the quality of women’s lives. As the FDA pronounced meshes as a high-risk device, the search for a new non-invasive treatment became necessary.” stated Dr. Ogrinc.

“In our study we used 2940 nm Er:YAG laser with non-ablative, thermal only smooth mode modality to improve the collagen tissue of the relaxed anterior vaginal wall which is important in supporting the bladder in anatomic position.

“The results of our study have shown that the new non-invasive Er:YAG laser could be regarded as a promising additional treatment strategy for SUI with at least one year of lasting positive effects.”

Dr. Ogrinc studied medicine at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and graduated in 1993. She became a specialist of Gynecology and Obstetrics in 2008 and finished her master’s degree in 2007. She worked at the University Clinical Center from 2002-2012 and now runs a private clinical practice with her friend and colleague Sabina Senčar. Both are instructors for usage of lasers in gynecology.

Editor’s Choice is an exclusive article published in LSM, the official journal of the ASLMS. To view the complete manuscript, visit: aslms.org/professional/lsmeditorschoice

The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS) is the largest multi-disciplinary professional organization, dedicated to the development and application of lasers and related technology for health care applications. ASLMS promotes excellence in patient care by advancing biomedical application of lasers and other related technologies worldwide. Currently, ASLMS has over 4,000 members, including physicians and surgeons representing more than 51 specialties, physicists involved in product development, biomedical engineers, biologists, nurses, industry representatives and manufacturers. For more information, visit aslms.org.