ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2003 December;162(6):133-40

Copyright © 2003 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Carbon-dioxide therapy and vaginal irrigations. Clinical description

Palmieri B. ¹, Benuzzi G. ¹, Bondi M. ²

¹ Dipartimento Misto di Chirurgia Generale e Specialità Chirurgiche, Clinica Chirurgica; ² Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena

Aim. The vaginal microflora undergoes often to quali-quantitative changes and imbalance due to hormonal turnover, contamination, immunity, local and systemic etiologic factors. Vaginosis and vaginitis are therefore to be treated with drugs and repeated local irrigations.
Methods. The authors investigated the effect of 7% CO2 enriched water washout in 40 women complaining, since 3 years, of vaginosis and vaginitis; the CO2 effect on vaginal bacteria had been previously investigated in vitro and they decided to approach the irrigation with 250 ml saline plus CO2 volume protocol every other day for 2 weeks.
Results. The patients were checked at the end of the trial; symptoms improvement was detected in 15 patients after 6 days, 10 in 4 day and 2 in 2 days. The compliance was excellent in 72.5% fair in 27.5%; side effects were well tolerated in 55%.
Conclusion. The vaginal irrigation with CO2 added water proved effective in the treated women. Furthermore, some pleasant effects due to local hyperemia and sensory nerve stimulation have been reported.