Laser Therapy in Women With Lichenoid Disorders

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Lichen Planus; Lichen Sclerosus Et Atrophicus

• Registration Number: NCT04697563
• Lead Sponsor: Medical University of Graz

Brief Summary

Primary aim of the trial is to compare improvement of lichen symptoms according to a composite VAS scale (burning, itching and pain) between women with vulvovaginal laser therapy vs. sham laser therapy at three months.

Detailed Description

Background: Lichenoid Disorders (LD) include VLS (Vulvar lichen sclerosus) and LP (Lichen planus). VLS and LP are chronic skin diseases that usually affect the anogenital region. Both can cause vulvar itching, burning and pain and can lead to urinary and sexual dysfunction. Current treatment options are unsatisfactory. Vulvovaginal laser therapy might be an effective treatment option.

Study aim: To study the effectiveness of non-ablative vulvovaginal laser therapy for women with lichenoid disorders.

Design: Randomized double-blinded placebo- controlled clinical study

Study Population: Women diagnosed with LD will be recruited from a specialized University outpatient clinic.

Study groups: Participants will be randomized (1:1). Intervention group: Laser therapy (2 treatments), plus ongoing therapy Control group: Sham laser therapy (2 treatments) plus ongoing therapy

Sample size Total 40 patients Primary study outcome: Visual analogue scale (VAS) composite score in regard to LD Secondary study outcomes: quality of life (QoL) (Skindex questionnaire); Treatment discomfort/ pain (VAS); Patient treatment satisfaction (Questionnaire to ask for treatment satifsaction: ZUF-8); Subjective improvement (Patient global impression of improvement- PGI-I), clinical LS score, histological appearance

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2020-11-17
• Study First Submitted: 2021-01-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-01-04
• Study First Posted: 2021-01-06
• Primary Completion: 2024-06-13
• Study Completion: 2024-06-13
• Status Verified: 2025-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-05-12
• Last Update Posted: 2025-05-13

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
subjective bother of lichenoid disorders (LD)	3 months	A visual analogue scale (VAS) is used for assessment for the subjective bother of LD symptoms. Patients are asked to indicate the degree of each of the three following LD symptoms on a scale ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 10 (worst possible symptoms): genital symptoms of itching, burning and vaginal pain resulting in a composite VAS score

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Patient Global Impression of Severity- PGI-S	3 months	The Patient Global Impression of Severity (PGI-S) is a global index that may be used to rate the severity of a specific condition (a single-state scale). The PGI scales are robust and valid instruments to assess disease severity, bother and improvement after treatment and will be used to determine the Patient Global Impression of Severity. The PGI scales are robust and valid instruments to assess disease severity, bother and improvement after treatment. The patient can choose from 4 answers including none, mild, moderate and severe.
Histological analysis of LD	3 months	Lichenoid disorders show epidermic atrophy, sclerosis and a lymphocytic based dermal inflammation. Hyperkeratosis and dermal inflammation will be evaluated both from the histological probe before and after treatment. Each item will be scored from 1-3, mild, moderate and severe. A higher score indicates more severe expression of LD.
subjective symptoms of lichenoid disorders	3 months	The Skindex questionnaire will be used to evaluate patients' subjective symptoms of lichenoid disorders
Patient Global Impression of Improvement- PGI-I	3 months	The PGI-I scales are robust and valid instruments to assess disease severity, bother and improvement after treatment in women and will be used to determine the Patient Global Impression of Improvement. The PGI-I consists of a 7-likert-scale with 7 being the worst bother.
Treatment discomfort / pain	3 months	patients are asked to indicate the degree of discomfort or pain during laser therapy on a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (no discomfort/pain) to 10 (worst possible discomfort/pain)
architectural changes	3 months	The vulva will be inspected and structural changes due to LD will be recorded. The score is based on the publication from Günthert et al. The score records signs of erosions, hyperkeratosis, rhagades, synechia, stenosis, and atrophy of the vulva. The questionnaires is based on a 29-item version; the higher the score the more pronounced are the clinical signs.
Patient satisfaction with treatment/ inpatient management	3 months	Patient satisfaction will be evaluated with the "Fragebogen zur Patientenzufriedenheit - ZUF8". The German version of the original "Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-CSQ8", is a validated tool for measuring global patient satisfaction at the end of inpatient treatment. he Zuf-8 is an 8-items questionnaire to assess satisfaction in patients undergoing inpatient treatment. At 3 months treatment satisfaction will be assessed using an adopted version of the questionnaire. The lower the score the higher is the patient satiscation.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Obstetrics, Medical University Graz; 🇦🇹 Graz, Austria