Effects of non-ablative vaginal erbium:YAG laser treatment for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: a case series (UNICORN-2 study).

Purpose: There are no established treatments for treating interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). We conducted a study to verify the effectiveness of non-ablative vaginal erbium:YAG laser (VEL) treatment for patients with IC/BPS who were resistant to conventional treatments.Methods: A total of 12 patients without improvement after several treatments before 2016 underwent VEL treatment once a month for 12 months as per their convenience. The numeric rating scale-11 (NRS-11), O'Leary-Sant interstitial cystitis symptom and problem indexes (ICSI and ICPI), functional bladder capacity, and daily urinary frequency were obtained.Results: In total, nine patients responded to the treatment and three did not. The NRS-11 scores and ICSI and ICPI improved in all responders. The bladder capacity and urinary frequency also normalized. The residual effect lasted for 18 months from the first treatment without long-term side-effects.Conclusions: VEL treatment is a safe and effective treatment in patients with IC/BPS.