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Published on: February 1, 2018
Efficacy of functional magnetic stimulation in neurogenic bowel dysfunction after spinal cord injury
Po-Yi Tsai1, Chih-Pin Wang, Fang-Yao Chiu
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Objective:
The aims of this study were to assess the usefulness of functional magnetic stimulation in controlling neurogenic bowel dysfunction in spinal cord injured patients with supraconal and conal/caudal lesions, and to investigate the efficacy of this regimen with a 3-month follow-up.
Design:
A longitudinal, prospective before-after trial.
Subjects:
A total of 22 patients with chronic spinal cord injured and intractable neurogenic bowel dysfunction. They were divided into group 1 (supraconal lesion) and group 2 (conal/caudal lesion).
Methods:
The colonic transit time assessment and Knowles-Eccersley-Scott Symptom Questionnaire were carried out for each patient before they received a 3-week functional magnetic stimulation protocol and on the day following the treatment.
Results And Conclusion:
Following functional magnetic stimulation, the mean colonic transit time for all patients decreased from 62.6 to 50.4 h (p<0.001). The patients' Knowles-Eccersley-Scott Symptom scores decreased from 24.5 to 19.2 points (p<0.001). The colonic transit time decrement in both group 1 (p=0.003) and group 2 (p=0.043) showed significant differences, as did the Knowles-Eccersley-Scott Symptom score in both groups following stimulation and in the 3-month follow-up results (p<0.01). The improvements in bowel function indicate that functional magnetic stimulation,featuring broad-spectrum application, can be incorporated successfully into other therapies as an optimal adjuvant treatment for neurogenic bowel dysfunction resulting from spinal cord injury.
