Login to Access Video or Poster Abstract: MP23-05
Sources of Funding: None

Introduction

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the most prevalent conditions worldwide, with incidence increasing with age. Oestrogen decrease in post-menopausal women lowers levels of Lactobacillus within the vaginal microenvironment, a key factor in synthesising lactic acid and the creation of the acidic vaginal defence. These women often require long-term antibiotics. However with the rising incidence of bacterial resistance, there is a need to find alternative therapies._x000D_ _x000D_ FemTouch is a thermal ablative laser, which when applied to the vagina, induces a histologically proven rejuvenation of the lining to a pre-menopausal state, similar to oestrogen therapy. FemTouch is used by gynaecologists to treat atrophic vaginitis and is favourable in women unsuitable for oestrogen therapy. _x000D_ _x000D_ We present the first experience in the United Kingdom (UK) of using FemTouch to treat recurrent UTIs in a preliminary cohort of women.

Methods

9 postmenopausal women with recurrent UTIs received 3 courses of FemTouch (Lumenis, Israel) at monthly intervals. Total follow up for 6 months assessed rates of UTI, changes in vaginal pH and assessment of vaginal health using subjective measures of vaginal fluid/moisture, firmness and elasticity. _x000D_ _x000D_ No patients received concurrent antibiotic or hormonal therapy during the treatment or follow up period.

Results

Pre-treatment, the patients averaged one UTI every 6 weeks. To date only one patient has had a recurrence of UTI after treatment. _x000D_ _x000D_ The average vaginal pH, displayed in table 1, improved with treatment. All patients described marked improvements in menopausal vaginal symptoms, as shown by their average vaginal health scores in table 2._x000D_ _x000D_ All patients described the pain of the procedure as 1/10 on average throughout.

Conclusions

Our preliminary results show that FemTouch is both effective and well tolerated in the treatment of recurrent UTIs in postmenopausal UK women, suggesting FemTouch may be a viable alternative to antibiotic prophylaxis. In addition, laser treatment made a big difference to patients general vaginal health, restoring it in the patients view to a pre-menopausal state._x000D_ _x000D_ There seems to be enough merit to establish a national multi-centre trial to evaluate the efficacy of FemTouch in larger groups of patients for a longer follow up period.

Funding

None