Treatment of primary deep dyspareunia with laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation procedure: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation (LUNA) for treatment of primary deep dyspareunia.

METHODS: Between July 2002 and June 2003, 12 consecutive patients diagnosed with primary deep dyspareunia were treated with the LUNA procedure. The evaluation scoring system included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the revised Sabbatsberg Sexual Rating Scale, done at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months after LUNA.

RESULTS: At the initial 3-month follow-up period, 3 patients were very satisfied with their treatment, 5 were satisfied, 2 uncertain, 1 dissatisfied, and 1 very dissatisfied. The corresponding figures at the 12-month follow-up visit were 2, 4, 4, 1, and 1, respectively. Overall, 8 (66.7%) patients in this trial were very satisfied or satisfied at the initial postoperative evaluation and 6 of them (50.0%) remained satisfied at the final evaluation.

CONCLUSION: Over half of the study patients felt satisfied with the results of treatment with LUNA. Further prospective controlled clinical trials are mandatory to validate its effectiveness.