Vulvodynia is a debilitating chronic vulvar pain lasting at least 3 months without a clear identifiable cause that is challenging to treat effectively. Vulvodynia is a common pain condition: its prevalence is estimated at 7-8% in women between the ages of 18 and 40. Vulvodynia that is provoked and localized to the vestibule (provoked vestibulodynia \[PVD\]) appears to be the most commonly seen in clinical practice. The current treatment approach for PVD follows a trial-and-error strategy from one intervention to another if symptoms fail to remit. Treatment options include reducing vulvar irritation (e.g., by stopping the use of detergents), topical agents (e.g., lidocaine), oral medications, pelvic floor physical therapy, psychotherapy, locally injectable agents (e.g., botulinum toxin A), and surgery (vestibulectomy). Despite the number of available treatment options, treatment failure is common. 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).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
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.
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.
Wake Forest Baptist Health
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Mean change from baseline in subjects' vulvar pain NRS scores
The primary outcome will be the mean change from baseline in subjects' vulvar pain NRS scores at 6, 12, 16, and 24 weeks post-randomization. At baseline and at each of these time points, subjects will be asked to rate their vulvar pain in the previous 4 weeks. The question posed to subjects will be worded as follows: "Please indicate, on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain at all and 10 is the worst pain you have ever felt, the number that best describes the intensity of your vulvar pain with intercourse, on average, in the past 4 weeks. If intercourse has not been attempted, then indicate the number that best describes the intensity of your vulvar pain with other activities that elicit pain (for example, tampon insertion) in the past 4 weeks." NRS - Numeric Rating Scale - widely used clinically for the assessment of pain. A higher score would represent more pain and a poorer outcome than a lower score.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on pain severity subscale VPAQ
The Vulvar Pain Assessment Questionnaire (VPAQ) was developed to assess the dimensions of the pain experience in studies of chronic pain. It consists of 6 primary (pain severity, emotional response, cognitive response, and interference with life, sexual function, and self-stimulation/penetration) and 3 supplementary subscales (pain quality, coping skills, and partner factors). The pain severity subscale of the VPAQ consists of 3 pairs of verbal rating scales (VRS) that test both pain intensity and pain affect (i.e., the emotional response generated by the feeling of pain). Each VRS is a 5-point scale with the following options: none=0, mild=1, moderate=2, severe=3, and worst possible=4, with a mean being calculated to produce the overall score for this subscale. The scale is 0-4 with 4 being the worst possible outcomes.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on pain severity subscale SF-MPQ
The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), a well-validated measure of both pain affect and pain quality, consists of 15 pain descriptors rated on a 4-point VRS (none=0, mild=1, moderate=2, severe=3) to yield a total score on a scale from 0-60, where a lower score would represent less pain and a better outcome.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on pain descriptors subscale VPAQ
The Vulvar Pain Assessment Questionnaire (VPAQ) was developed to assess the dimensions of the pain experience in studies of chronic pain. It consists of 6 primary (pain severity, emotional response, cognitive response, and interference with life, sexual function, and self-stimulation/penetration) and 3 supplementary subscales (pain quality, coping skills, and partner factors). The pain descriptors subscale of the VPAQ tests pain quality (i.e., how the pain is described in terms of sensory descriptors). It consists of 10 adjectives rated on a 5-point VRS (not at all=0, a little=1, somewhat=2, a lot=3, very much=4) to yield a total score from the mean of the adjectives to represent this subscale. The scale is 0-4 with 4 being the worst outcome.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on the SF-36
The 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) consists of 36 questions assessing physical functioning, role functioning difficulties caused by physical problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role functioning difficulties caused by emotional problems, and mental health. Scoring the SF-36 is a two-step process. All items are scored so that a high score defines a more favorable health state. In addition, each item is scored on a 0 to 100 range so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Scores represent the percentage of total possible score achieved. In step 2, items in the same scale are averaged together to create the 8 scale scores. Scale scores represent the average for all items in the scale that the respondent answered. High scores are representative of a great health status and better outcomes, while low scores are representative of a poor health status.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on the pain interference subscale of the BPI
The pain interference subscale of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), also a generic measure, assesses the degree to which a chronic pain condition interferes with 7 general life domains: general activity, mood, walking ability, normal work, relations with other people, sleep, and enjoyment of life. The scale goes from 0-10 with 10 being the worst. It assesses pain at its worst, lease, average, and now (current pain).The mean score for the interference of all of the activities for each severity item (worst, least, average, now) is calculated with a higher score (near 10) being a worse outcome.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on the life interference subscale of the VPAQ
The Vulvar Pain Assessment Questionnaire (VPAQ) was developed to assess the dimensions of the pain experience in studies of chronic pain. It consists of 6 primary (pain severity, emotional response, cognitive response, and interference with life, sexual function, and self-stimulation/penetration) and 3 supplementary subscales (pain quality, coping skills, and partner factors). The life interference subscale of the VPAQ tests interference of pain with normal life activities. It consists of 11 everyday activities that could be interrupted by pain rated on a 5-point VRS (not at all=0, a little=1, somewhat=2, a lot=3, very much/I avoid because of pain=4) to yield a total score from the mean of the activities to represent this subscale. The scale is 0-4 with 4 being the worst outcome.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on the life interference subscale of the FSFI
The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the most-commonly used generic measure of sexual function in women in PVD studies, 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 (3Qs 0 worst - 5 best). The sexual function interference subscale of the VPAQ assesses the impact of chronic vulvovaginal pain on sexual function. Higher scores indicate higher sexual functioning, with an overall range of 2-36.. A score of 26.55 has been clinically selected as the cut-off for sexual dysfunction, with a score lower than that indicating this problem.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on the sexual function interference subscale of the VPAQ
The Vulvar Pain Assessment Questionnaire (VPAQ) was developed to assess the dimensions of the pain experience in studies of chronic pain. It consists of 6 primary (pain severity, emotional response, cognitive response, and interference with life, sexual function, and self-stimulation/penetration) and 3 supplementary subscales (pain quality, coping skills, and partner factors). The sexual function interference subscale of the VPAQ tests interference of pain with sexual activities. It consists of 10 sexual activities that could be interrupted by pain rated on a 5-point VRS (not at all=0, a little=1, somewhat=2, a lot=3, very much/I avoid because of pain=4) to yield a total score from the mean of the activities to represent this subscale. The scale is 0-4 with 4 being the worst outcome.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Mean change from baseline in subjects' scores on the sexual function interference subscale of the PHQ-9
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is 1 of 3 scales recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for use in primary care to measure baseline depression severity and responsiveness to treatment. The scale goes from 0-27 with 0-4 indicating minimal depression with treatment unlikely to be necessary, 5-9 indicating mild depression and 10-14 indicating moderate depression with physicians using their clinical judgement for treatment (score 5-14) based on individual patient, 15-19 indicating moderately severe depression and 20-27 indicating severe depression warrant treatment for the depression (score \>14). A higher score would represent a poorer outcome for this scale.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Comparison of percentages of subjects in each treatment arm endorsing improvement in symptoms on the PGIC scale
The Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) is a 7-point scale that rates the level of satisfaction with treatment (very much improved, much improved, minimally improved, no change, minimally worse, much worse, very much worse). 10 point scale with 0=much better, 5=no change, and 10=much worse. Scores less than 5 would represent good outcomes. .
Time frame: 24 weeks
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