Randomized CO2 vs Sham Laser Treatment of Provoked Vestibulodynia
NCT ID: NCT03390049
Last Updated: 2019-06-10
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.
WITHDRAWN
NA
INTERVENTIONAL
2018-08-31
2019-11-30
Brief Summary
Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.
Fractional carbon-dioxide (CO2) laser is a technology widely used in dermatology for the treatment of various skin conditions. It has also been found to be an effective and safe treatment modality for symptoms of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. A recent pilot study explored the use of fractional CO2 laser for the treatment of vestibulodynia in 37 subjects, 67.6% of which reported that their symptoms were "improved" or "very improved" after 3 fractional CO2 laser sessions. In addition, the subjects reported statistically-significant decreases in vulvar pain and dyspareunia scores. Though the results of this pilot study are promising, it was of small sample size and did not control for the placebo effect. In cases of PVD, the placebo effect has been found to have a significant impact on self-reported outcomes. Sham procedures, when performed correctly, can be ethically administered and can significantly reduce study bias.
The primary aim of this study, therefore, is to assess the difference in vulvar pain intensity scores, at baseline and at 6, 12, 16, and 24 weeks post-randomization, in women with refractory PVD assigned to fractional CO2 laser vs sham laser. This study will provide information about the efficacy of this treatment modality in women with a challenging clinical condition. Hypothesis: Administration of 3 sessions of fractional carbon-dioxide laser to the vulvar vestibule of women with refractory provoked vestibulodynia will result in a clinically-significant greater reduction in vulvar pain intensity scores than placebo (sham laser).
Related Clinical Trials
Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.
Efficacy of Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Provoked Vestibulodynia : a Triple Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
NCT02543593
Light Emitting Diode in the Treatment of Vulvodynia
NCT06337448
Internet-based Treatment for Provoked Vestibulodynia
NCT04045041
Remote Mindfulness Education PLV
NCT03541512
Variable Perception of Cutaneous Stimulation
NCT03467685
Detailed Description
Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.
Conditions
See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.
Study Design
Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.
RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
DOUBLE
The physician administering the laser sessions will be blinded to treatment arm assignment.
Study Groups
Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.
Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment
Fractional CO2 laser will be applied to the entire vestibule, anteriorly to the fourchette, and laterally to the labia majora. This takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. A treatment cycle will consist of three laser sessions separated by 6 weeks +/- 1 week. The procedures will take place in the outpatient clinic. EMLA cream will be applied to the introitus for 20 minutes and wiped clean and dried prior to each laser session. Subjects will be advised to avoid intercourse for at least 3 days after each laser session because a mild inflammatory reaction may last up to 48 hours after a laser session. Topical lidocaine 5% ointment may be used for any vulvar discomfort post-procedure.
Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment
After obtaining a negative urine pregnancy test, each subject assigned to the fractional CO2 laser treatment arm will undergo laser sessions with the fractional microablative CO2 laser system (SmartXide 2 V 2 LR, MonaLisa Touch, DEKA, Florence, Italy) using the flat vulvar probe with the following settings: dot power 26 Watts, dwell time 1000 μs, dot spacing 1000 μm, and smart stack parameter from 1 to 3. Stack 1 is used at baseline; stack 3 is used 6 and 12 weeks after.
Sham Laser Treatment
A treatment cycle will consist of three laser sessions separated by 6 weeks +/- 1 week. The procedures will take place in the outpatient clinic. Subjects assigned to sham laser will undergo the same pre-treatment with EMLA cream and will receive the same post-treatment instructions as the fractional CO2 laser subjects.
Sham Laser Treatment
After obtaining a negative urine pregnancy test, each subject assigned to the sham laser treatment arm will undergo laser sessions with the fractional microablative CO2 laser system (SmartXide 2 V 2 LR, MonaLisa Touch, DEKA, Florence, Italy) using the flat vulvar probe. However, these sham laser sessions will administer no fractional CO2 laser energy. To increase the likelihood that subjects assigned to sham laser remain blinded to treatment arm assignment during the study, MonaLisa Touch will provide a software package with settings that allow for reproduction of the sounds generated during a regular fractional CO2 laser session but using 0 Watts of power.
Interventions
Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.
Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment
After obtaining a negative urine pregnancy test, each subject assigned to the fractional CO2 laser treatment arm will undergo laser sessions with the fractional microablative CO2 laser system (SmartXide 2 V 2 LR, MonaLisa Touch, DEKA, Florence, Italy) using the flat vulvar probe with the following settings: dot power 26 Watts, dwell time 1000 μs, dot spacing 1000 μm, and smart stack parameter from 1 to 3. Stack 1 is used at baseline; stack 3 is used 6 and 12 weeks after.
Sham Laser Treatment
After obtaining a negative urine pregnancy test, each subject assigned to the sham laser treatment arm will undergo laser sessions with the fractional microablative CO2 laser system (SmartXide 2 V 2 LR, MonaLisa Touch, DEKA, Florence, Italy) using the flat vulvar probe. However, these sham laser sessions will administer no fractional CO2 laser energy. To increase the likelihood that subjects assigned to sham laser remain blinded to treatment arm assignment during the study, MonaLisa Touch will provide a software package with settings that allow for reproduction of the sounds generated during a regular fractional CO2 laser session but using 0 Watts of power.
Other Intervention Names
Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.
Eligibility Criteria
Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.
Inclusion Criteria
* Meets the 2015 terminology for the diagnosis of PVD, either type 1 (chronic vulvar pain since first attempts at intercourse and/or other penetrative activities) or type 2 (chronic vulvar pain with intercourse and/or other penetrative activities following a period of no vulvar pain)
* Vulvar pain is localized to the vestibule and provoked by vaginal intercourse, other penetrative activities (e.g., tampon insertion, self-stimulation) and/or pressure exerted on the vestibule (e.g., due to tight-fitting clothing, cycling)
* Vestibular pain is elicited with cotton-swab test during screening medical examination
* Subject did not experience significant symptom improvement with prior therapy following a minimum of 2 standard-of-care treatments for PVD
Exclusion Criteria
* Generalized vulvar pain
* Unprovoked vulvar pain
* History of vestibulectomy
* Any medical, gynecologic, or iatrogenic condition (e.g., vulvar surgery) that could explain the presence of chronic vulvar pain (e.g., genitourinary syndrome of menopause, lichen sclerosus, vaginismus, significant pelvic organ prolapse, pudendal neuralgia)
* Active vulvar and/or vaginal infection that is not due to bacterial vaginosis, Chlamydia, Trichomonads or Candida (if diagnosed with any of these infections, treat and re-evaluate after negative test of cure)
* Active urinary tract infection
* Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
* Recent vaginal delivery (within 3 months post-partum)
* Medical or psychiatric condition not under control
* Scoring of 10 or above on the PHQ-9 and/or scoring 1 or above on the question asking about "thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way"
* History of treatment with fractional CO2 laser to the vulvar vestibule and/or vagina
* History of radiation to vaginal/colorectal tissue, reconstructive pelvic surgery with "mesh kits", impaired wound healing or keloid formation, and/or thromboembolic condition
18 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
OTHER
Responsible Party
Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.
Principal Investigators
Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.
Catherine A Matthews, MD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Professor or Ob/Gyn and Urology
Locations
Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.
Wake Forest Baptist Health
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Countries
Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.
References
Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.
Bornstein J, Goldstein AT, Stockdale CK, Bergeron S, Pukall C, Zolnoun D, Coady D; consensus vulvar pain terminology committee of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD); International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH); International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS). 2015 ISSVD, ISSWSH, and IPPS Consensus Terminology and Classification of Persistent Vulvar Pain and Vulvodynia. J Sex Med. 2016 Apr;13(4):607-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.02.167. Epub 2016 Mar 25.
Harlow BL, Kunitz CG, Nguyen RH, Rydell SA, Turner RM, MacLehose RF. Prevalence of symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of vulvodynia: population-based estimates from 2 geographic regions. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2014 Jan;210(1):40.e1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2013.09.033. Epub 2013 Sep 28.
Sadownik LA. Etiology, diagnosis, and clinical management of vulvodynia. Int J Womens Health. 2014 May 2;6:437-49. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S37660. eCollection 2014.
Falsetta ML, Foster DC, Bonham AD, Phipps RP. A review of the available clinical therapies for vulvodynia management and new data implicating proinflammatory mediators in pain elicitation. BJOG. 2017 Jan;124(2):210-218. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.14157. Epub 2016 Jun 17.
Salvatore S, Leone Roberti Maggiore U, Athanasiou S, Origoni M, Candiani M, Calligaro A, Zerbinati N. Histological study on the effects of microablative fractional CO2 laser on atrophic vaginal tissue: an ex vivo study. Menopause. 2015 Aug;22(8):845-9. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000401.
Sokol ER, Karram MM. An assessment of the safety and efficacy of a fractional CO2 laser system for the treatment of vulvovaginal atrophy. Menopause. 2016 Oct;23(10):1102-7. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000700.
Pitsouni E, Grigoriadis T, Tsiveleka A, Zacharakis D, Salvatore S, Athanasiou S. Microablative fractional CO2-laser therapy and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause: An observational study. Maturitas. 2016 Dec;94:131-136. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.09.012. Epub 2016 Sep 16.
Salvatore S, Nappi RE, Parma M, Chionna R, Lagona F, Zerbinati N, Ferrero S, Origoni M, Candiani M, Leone Roberti Maggiore U. Sexual function after fractional microablative CO(2) laser in women with vulvovaginal atrophy. Climacteric. 2015 Apr;18(2):219-25. doi: 10.3109/13697137.2014.975197. Epub 2014 Dec 16.
Zerbinati N, Serati M, Origoni M, Candiani M, Iannitti T, Salvatore S, Marotta F, Calligaro A. Microscopic and ultrastructural modifications of postmenopausal atrophic vaginal mucosa after fractional carbon dioxide laser treatment. Lasers Med Sci. 2015 Jan;30(1):429-36. doi: 10.1007/s10103-014-1677-2. Epub 2014 Nov 20.
Murina F, Karram M, Salvatore S, Felice R. Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment of the Vestibule for Patients with Vestibulodynia and Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: A Pilot Study. J Sex Med. 2016 Dec;13(12):1915-1917. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.10.006. Epub 2016 Nov 15.
Foster DC, Kotok MB, Huang LS, Watts A, Oakes D, Howard FM, Poleshuck EL, Stodgell CJ, Dworkin RH. Oral desipramine and topical lidocaine for vulvodynia: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Sep;116(3):583-593. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181e9e0ab.
Gu AP, Gu CN, Ahmed AT, Murad MH, Wang Z, Kallmes DF, Brinjikji W. Sham surgical procedures for pain intervention result in significant improvements in pain: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Epidemiol. 2017 Mar;83:18-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.12.010. Epub 2017 Jan 4.
Ciccozzi M, Menga R, Ricci G, Vitali MA, Angeletti S, Sirignano A, Tambone V. Critical review of sham surgery clinical trials: Confounding factors analysis. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2016 Oct 29;12:21-26. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2016.10.007. eCollection 2016 Dec.
Dargie E, Holden RR, Pukall CF. The Vulvar Pain Assessment Questionnaire inventory. Pain. 2016 Dec;157(12):2672-2686. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000682.
Dworkin RH, Turk DC, Farrar JT, Haythornthwaite JA, Jensen MP, Katz NP, Kerns RD, Stucki G, Allen RR, Bellamy N, Carr DB, Chandler J, Cowan P, Dionne R, Galer BS, Hertz S, Jadad AR, Kramer LD, Manning DC, Martin S, McCormick CG, McDermott MP, McGrath P, Quessy S, Rappaport BA, Robbins W, Robinson JP, Rothman M, Royal MA, Simon L, Stauffer JW, Stein W, Tollett J, Wernicke J, Witter J; IMMPACT. Core outcome measures for chronic pain clinical trials: IMMPACT recommendations. Pain. 2005 Jan;113(1-2):9-19. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2004.09.012. No abstract available.
Pukall CF, Bergeron S, Brown C, Bachmann G, Wesselmann U; Vulvodynia Collaborative Research Group. Recommendations for Self-Report Outcome Measures in Vulvodynia Clinical Trials. Clin J Pain. 2017 Aug;33(8):756-765. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000453.
Melzack R. The short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Pain. 1987 Aug;30(2):191-197. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(87)91074-8.
Ware JE Jr, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care. 1992 Jun;30(6):473-83.
Rosen R, Brown C, Heiman J, Leiblum S, Meston C, Shabsigh R, Ferguson D, D'Agostino R Jr. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI): a multidimensional self-report instrument for the assessment of female sexual function. J Sex Marital Ther. 2000 Apr-Jun;26(2):191-208. doi: 10.1080/009262300278597.
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x.
Smarr KL, Keefer AL. Measures of depression and depressive symptoms: Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011 Nov;63 Suppl 11:S454-66. doi: 10.1002/acr.20556. No abstract available.
Farrar JT, Young JP Jr, LaMoreaux L, Werth JL, Poole MR. Clinical importance of changes in chronic pain intensity measured on an 11-point numerical pain rating scale. Pain. 2001 Nov;94(2):149-158. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(01)00349-9.
Schreiber, J., Culpeper, L. Suicidal ideation and behavior in adults. In: UpToDate, Post TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA. (Accessed on June 13, 2017.)
Bergeron S, Khalife S, Dupuis MJ, McDuff P. A randomized clinical trial comparing group cognitive-behavioral therapy and a topical steroid for women with dyspareunia. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2016 Mar;84(3):259-68. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000072. Epub 2016 Jan 4.
Bergeron S, Binik YM, Khalife S, Pagidas K, Glazer HI, Meana M, Amsel R. A randomized comparison of group cognitive--behavioral therapy, surface electromyographic biofeedback, and vestibulectomy in the treatment of dyspareunia resulting from vulvar vestibulitis. Pain. 2001 Apr;91(3):297-306. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(00)00449-8.
Fitzmaurice GM, Ravichandran C. A primer in longitudinal data analysis. Circulation. 2008 Nov 4;118(19):2005-10. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.714618. No abstract available.
Other Identifiers
Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.
IRB00043442
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
More Related Trials
Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.