Noninvasive bipolar radiofrequency - vaginal application on swine model

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentration of collagen and elastin fibers, the number of fibroblasts/fibrocytes and vessels, as well as depth of action in the vaginal wall in a swine model before and after intravaginal 480 kHz bipolar radiofrequency heating created by a 360-degree intravaginal applicator (Berger and Kraft Medical). Three swine’s were treated with a bipolar radiofrequency vaginal probe. Exposure to RF was administered twice, every 4 weeks, and then the vaginas were removed after slaughter, four weeks after the last RF exposure. Histology specimens were obtained from control and exposed areas. Tissue samples were stained by hematoxylin-eosin, orcein, and Mallory trichrome. The concentration of elastin and collagen fibers increased distinctly after a treatment protocol: elastin, on average, was 52.8%, and collagen, on average, was 103.6%. After the treatment protocol, we revealed a significant dispersion of fibroblasts-fibrocytes nuclei for particular animals in segmented areas, with a slightly marked falling trend. A degree of data variability cannot lead to a conclusion concerning the influence of RF heating on several vessels in evaluated areas. The depth of action of the RF heating, measured by collagen concentration, reached up to 1.3 mm of the vaginal wall thickness. Results imply that heating of the vaginal wall, created by radiofrequency, induces neocollagenogenesis and neoelastogenesis, leading to a distinctive rise of collagen and elastin fibers concentration at a depth of up to 1.3 mm of the thickness of the vaginal wall in the animal model.