Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of focused ultrasound (FU) at different focal depths in treating vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS).

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on 84 patients with VLS. Among them, 43 cases were treated with FU at a focal depth of 2.5 mm and 41 cases at a focal depth of 4.0 mm. Therapeutic time, treatment energy, postoperative efficacy, complications and recurrence rates were compared.

Results

No statistically substantially differences in age, disease course, history of immune system diseases, lesion size and severity of symptoms were found between the two groups. All patients successfully received FU therapy. No significant difference in curative rate was observed between the two groups at 3, 6 and 12 months after FU therapy. At 12 months after FU therapy, the recurrence rate of the experimental group (FU treatment at 2.5 mm focal depth) was lower than the control group (FU treatment at 4.0 mm focal depth) (7.0% vs 24.4%, p = 0.027). The experimental group was treated for a shorter period of time [22.69 ± 0.64 (min) vs 24.93 ± 0.72(min), p = 0.022] and at a lower dose[5,026.05 ± 148.00(J) vs 5,484.26 ± 160.60(J) p = 0.039].

Conclusion

Compared with that at the routine focal depth (4.0 mm), FU therapy at a low treatment depth (2.5 mm) can achieve a similar therapeutic effect but lower recurrence rate, therapeutic time and treatment energy. This work provides insight into the optimization of clinical protocols.

中文翻译：

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不同焦深聚焦超声治疗外阴硬化性苔藓的疗效比较

摘要

客观的

本研究旨在比较不同聚焦深度的聚焦超声 (FU) 治疗外阴硬化性苔藓 (VLS) 的疗效和安全性。

方法

对 84 名 VLS 患者进行了一项回顾性研究。其中，FU治疗43例，焦深2.5 mm，41例，焦深4.0 mm。比较治疗时间、治疗能量、术后疗效、并发症及复发率。

结果

两组在年龄、病程、免疫系统疾病史、病变大小和症状严重程度方面无统计学差异。所有患者均成功接受了 FU 治疗。FU治疗后3、6、12个月两组治愈率无显着差异。在 FU 治疗后 12 个月，实验组（FU 治疗在 2.5 mm 焦深）的复发率低于对照组（FU 治疗在 4.0 mm 焦深）（7.0% vs 24.4%，p  = 0.027）。实验组的治疗时间较短 [22.69 ± 0.64 (min) vs 24.93 ± 0.72(min)，p  = 0.022] 且剂量较低 [5,026.05 ± 148.00(J) vs 5,484.26 ± 160.60(J) p  = 0.039]。

结论

与常规焦深（4.0 mm）相比，低治疗深度（2.5 mm）的FU治疗可以获得相似的治疗效果，但复发率、治疗时间和治疗能量更低。这项工作提供了对临床方案优化的深入了解。