The Colposcopy Clinic at Humber River Health (Humber) recently acquired an UltraPulse® CO2 Laser by Lumenis, a minimally invasive tool to improve gynaecological care. This CO2 laser allows physicians to treat diseases of the lower genital tract, such as pre-cancers or various vulvar conditions, in ways that minimize bleeding and scarring for the patient.

Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr. Lynn Sterling and Navdeep Badwal, Manager of Humber’s Surgical Clinics, presented a proposal to acquire the laser at Humber’s Inaugural Dragons Den in 2021 and were awarded the grand prize of $100,000 in funding from generous donor Phil Evershed. However, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team experienced delays in bringing the laser into the Hospital – until now. On June 25, 2024, Dr. Sterling performed the first gynaecological procedure in Humber’s Colposcopy Clinic using the UltraPulse® CO2 Laser.

How it works

When treating various vulvar and gynaecological conditions, traditional practices often involve removing large amounts of tissue and a significant amount of cutting, bleeding, and scarring. For example, patients who suffer from genital warts may need to visit the Hospital multiple times to for successful chemical treatment to remove them. Similarly, patients with vulvar pre-cancers may need undergo excision of some surrounding normal tissue if a laser is not available. In other cases, patients with vulvar skin conditions may have scarring which prevents them from being able to have intercourse, and which can be difficult to open successfully with traditional surgical techniques. The laser, on the other hand, vaporizes cells, allowing the patient to experience less pain, bleeding, and scarring.

Taking care of our community

“Having the UltraPulse® CO2 Laser allows us to take better care of our community near home,” says Dr. Sterling. “Instead of inconveniencing patients by sending them to other centres to undergo these procedures, we are now able to treat them at Humber, usually within one or two visits.”

For instance, abnormal Pap tests indicate pre-cancerous cells on the cervix which can progress to cancer if untreated. A loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is traditionally used to remove those cells by excising a portion of the cervix. For certain patients planning future pregnancy, the UltraPulse® CO2 Laser can be instead used to remove a smaller portion of the cervix. The procedure itself is very quick and especially beneficial for patients who wish to bear children, as the cervix is an important component during pregnancy.

“With 14 trained colposcopists, Humber performs the majority of the colposcopies in our LHIN region,” explains Dr. Sterling. “Being able to leverage these innovative practices helps us bring state-of-the-art care right to our patients, allowing Humber to become a centre of excellence in colposcopy care.”

While this UltraPulse® CO2 Laser is dedicated to Humber’s Colposcopy Clinic, Dr. Sterling hopes the hospital is able to acquire more lasers in the future to assist with treating additional women’s health-related conditions, such as for endometriosis surgeries.