{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T00:21:51Z","timestamp":1781223711218,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,9]],"date-time":"2021-04-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1617926400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Lasers Surg Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background and Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>Vaginal fractional carbon dioxide (CO<jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>) laser treatment has emerged in the past two decades as a non\u2010surgical option for vaginal tightening. Mounting evidence supports the effectiveness and safety of this treatment for female sexual dysfunction. A newly developed vaginal tactile imaging (VTI) technique accurately evaluates the biomechanical parameters of the female pelvic floor and vagina, including tissue elasticity, pelvic support, and pelvic muscle function in high definition. In the current study, we evaluated changes in objective biomechanical parameters using VTI, following vaginal CO<jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub> laser treatment for vaginal tightening and sexual dysfunction.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Study Design\/Materials and Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We conducted a prospective cohort between June 2018 and January 2020. Inclusion criteria were vaginal looseness, decreased local sensation during sexual intercourse, and sexual dysfunction. All the participants were treated with a vaginal carbon dioxide laser. They underwent a gynecological evaluation based on the Vaginal Health Index (VHI) and sexual function assessment according to the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Vaginal biomechanical parameters were assessed by VTI. Initial evaluations were performed at the pre\u2010treatment consult visit, 1 week prior to the first treatment and at a 6\u2010month post\u2010treatment follow\u2010up visit.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Twenty\u2010five women were included in the final analysis. Compared with baseline, the post\u2010treatment mean scores for vaginal elasticity and tightening were higher (54.8\u2009\u00b1\u20095.2 vs. 41.5\u2009\u00b1\u20096.3, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.0027 and 1.97\u2009\u00b1\u20090.25 vs. 1.32\u2009\u00b1\u20090.31, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.0014, respectively). Post\u2010treatment increases were demonstrated in pelvic muscle contraction strength (25.9\u2009\u00b1\u20093.5 vs. 16.5\u2009\u00b1\u20094.2, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.0011) and in reflex pelvic muscle contraction (2.93\u2009\u00b1\u20090.44 vs. 2.12\u2009\u00b1\u20090.47, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.0022); the mean FSFI and VHI scores were higher following treatment (28.47\u2009\u00b1\u20091.73 vs. 21.12\u2009\u00b1\u20091.58, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.036 and 19.15\u2009\u00b1\u20091.27 vs. 11.6\u2009\u00b1\u20090.97, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.0032).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>The quantification of vaginal biomechanical parameters using VTI technology offers objective evidence of the beneficial effect of vaginal CO<jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub> laser treatment. Lasers Surg. Med. \u00a9 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/lsm.23405","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,9]],"date-time":"2021-04-09T09:43:19Z","timestamp":1617961399000},"page":"1146-1151","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Vaginal Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser Treatment and Changes in Vaginal Biomechanical Parameters"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"53","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1598-3586","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roy","family":"Lauterbach","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Health Care Campus Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion  Haifa 3525408 Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ola","family":"Gutzeit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Health Care 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