Dr Irena Hreljac
Clinical Affairs Manager, Fotona
Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) symptoms, such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, bowel symptoms (eg. faecal incontinence, rectal prolapse) and sexual problems (eg. erectile dysfunction and dyspareunia), are among the most common problems that are never talked about.
Affecting both men and women, symptoms of PFD are often interconnected and may have different causes, with a major one being weakened pelvic floor support. PFD symptoms generally get worse with age. In women, they are also often connected to injuries during vaginal childbirth. In men, they may arise after prostate removal surgery.
Pelvic floor functions
The pelvic floor is a complex structure consisting of several muscles and connective tissue components with the main task of supporting the pelvic organs and sexual function. Because of these roles, a weakening of the pelvic floor supporting structures can result in more than one symptom of PFD.
As medical technology advances and medicine is moving towards more preventative and regenerative therapies, novel medical device treatments are being introduced in pelvic floor symptom treatment. These include laser technology aimed at the regeneration and strengthening of connective and epithelial tissues, as well as magnetic stimulation technology aimed at strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.
Improved tone and strength of the pelvic floor muscles result in the improvement of PFD symptoms.
How laser technology helps
Non-ablative SMOOTH Er:YAG laser was introduced in the last decade as an innovative therapy to stimulate functional regeneration and alleviate different symptoms connected with PFD. Its mechanism of action is through so-called dual-tissue remodelling — epithelial tissue regeneration and strengthening of the connective tissue support, resulting in the improvement of PFD symptoms.
In women, this technology has been used to successfully treat symptoms of incontinence, genitourinary syndrome of menopause, pelvic organ prolapse and vaginal laxity. In men, intraurethral non-ablative Er:YAG laser has also been reported to improve the symptoms of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The same laser technology may also treat bowel dysfunction symptoms when used trans-rectally.
Magnetic stimulation
While connective support can be strengthened using laser, the pelvic floor muscles — an important building block of pelvic floor support — can be kept in shape by a different type of energy-based medical device technology: magnetic stimulation. High-Intensity Tesla Stimulation (HITS) enables effortless pelvic floor muscle training. Improved tone and strength of the pelvic floor muscles result in the improvement of PFD symptoms, such as stress and urge incontinence, in both men and women.
Treatments that combine both SMOOTH Er:YAG laser and HITS magnetic stimulation technologies will be the next step towards the development of holistic, non-invasive solutions for PFD symptoms.
