Dr. Nolan Hetz of Manitowoc is on the verge of launching an invention that he believes will transform the treatment protocol for chronic pelvic and bladder pain.

With a specialty in obstetrics and gynecology, Hetz has also spent much of his career focused on urological issues. In those roles, he has witnessed the debilitating effects these conditions can have on a person’s life.

To define the vast number affected, Hetz cited the statistics. It is estimated that 35 million American women suffer from pelvic pain, painful sexual intercourse and bladder pain.  Worldwide, the number is estimated at 1.1 billion.  Current treatments have had limited effectiveness; 40% of those having major surgeries continue to have pain.

“My goal before 2000 was to solve this chronic pelvic and bladder pain issue,” Hetz said. “When I was at John Hopkins, I learned about the effect of inflammation on this disease.  When a nerve has pain, if you can short-circuit it, you can stop the spasm similar to what a chiropractor does.”

But while the patient gains temporary relief from a chiropractor, Hetz searched for a more permanent solution. That journey has evolved over the past 30 years. He became an early advocate of laser technology and witnessed the effectiveness of it in calming overactive nerves.

“Instead of using a laser and causing a burn, you put that same laser in the skin and it spreads the waves," he said. "The waves will target the pain-causing tissues.”

As he began to research further, he discovered that one of the problems with current treatments is that they work from the exterior skin and do not fully penetrate tissues.

“The thought came to me that if we could get this energy into the nerve plexuses of the pelvis and do it safely but at the same high intensity, it might be beneficial to treat pelvic pain,” he said.

When a person who had suffered from disabling pain for about 25 years called Hetz in 2016 and asked for help, he told her he might have something they could try.  The woman was at the point where she had undergone numerous surgeries without relief.  She couldn’t hold a full-time job, and because of sexual issues, her marriage had ended in divorce.

“My wife and I met her in Manitowoc and I carefully administered photon energy with a wand," Hetz said. "After five minutes, she said it was the best she had felt in years — 85% of the pain had dissipated.  I thought, ‘What happened that night will change my life, and someday, the treatment paradigm worldwide.’”

Since, he has focused on developing what he has named the Rezalox Therapy System. Because of the use of lasers, he incorporated under the name GlobaLASEReach.

The machine is designed to suppress inflammation within pain triggering tissues to relax muscle spasms, speed tissue healing and repair, and increase blood flow and reduce swelling.

Hetz has assembled a team of over 40 international professionals, engineers and technicians. His partners in the business are Dr. Joseph Pietrafitta, board chairman, and Scott Wichlacz, vice president of manufacturing. There are frequent Zoom meetings among the team, all coordinated by Hetz’s communications director, Diedre Cahill.

“We operate quietly out of Manitowoc,” Hetz said. “I have assembled the team slowly and sought out the best specialists in the world. I have been operating for the last almost five years developing this system.”

The company has received its first patent, two others are pending and one is in the works.  Most of the device is being manufactured at Emerging Technologies in Two Rivers.

“Who knew we had a company right here in Wisconsin that had the technical experience and creative knowledge to build this system and understand how it is supposed to work?" Hetz said. "John (the owner) has taken my written diagrams and put it into a program.”

The process of turning his vision into a reality has been challenging. After deciding to build the machine, he said that it was a surprise how complex it would be.  The pandemic caused delays due to supply chain issues, and safety regulations have added hurdles.

“This is like a roller coaster; the most important thing is that this is a problem-solving endeavor," Hetz said. "It takes understanding, patience and problem solving.  Transitioning from being a surgeon to a project manager and inventor is easy because that is what I do as a surgeon. It is trial and error and there can be setbacks but that is part of taking care of patients and complexities.”

There have been delays, but he has begun testing and has a timeline. The first tests were done in Florida on a cadaver; a human pilot study in women with chronic pelvic pain is scheduled for later this year. The research sites will be in Philadelphia and Venice, Florida. Following that there will be 130 trials at four sites to be determined. Then, there will be random pilot tests where the participants will not know if they are being given an actual or placebo treatment.

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If everything goes as planned, Hetz hopes to have the machine on the market in 2025. He continues to analyze and make modifications so that the Rezalox Therapy System will be able to help both women and men overcome a lifetime of pain. As he refers to himself as “only 65 years old,” he has a vision for the future.

“Once we are on the market, I think that some company will be interested in buying us out," Hetz said. "I’d like that company to keep me on for a few years during a transitional period; I love to work and have always gone to have fun, help people and solve problems.  After that, I would like to be traveling and telling professionals about this technology.”

Hetz has had investors funding the project and says there is a need for more.  He predicts that in five years, the investors will be in Cancun on the beach and he’ll stop by to visit. (Investment details are available on the website www.RezaloxTherapy.com).

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Manitowoc doctor developing laser technology to treat bladder pain