The safety and efficacy of CO2 laser in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence

Introduction and hypothesis Conservative treatment is recommended as first-line therapy for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We hypothesized that CO 2 laser treatment would demonstrate safety and efficacy for women with SUI. Methods A prospective, open-label, cohort study of 33 women (mean age 43 years) referred from a continence clinic after urologist/urogynecologist assessment, with a verified stress urinary incontinence diagnosis based on urodynamic testing. The participants completed three outpatient treatments with laser therapy and were subsequently evaluated at 1, 3 and 6 months. The independent t and chi-square tests were used to assess changes in sanitary pad usage and SUI symptoms. Results Sanitary pad usage decreased from a median of 12 per day at baseline to 7 at 1–3 months post-treatment ( P