Voiding school for children with idiopathic urinary incontinence and/or bladder dysfunction

Individually applied urotherapy is first-line treatment in children with bladder dysfunction. A new concept of treatment for small groups of children was applied and evaluated.

Two hundred children, 116 of them girls, aged 3-14 years (median 7.2) with bladder dysfunction and incontinence received urotherapy in small groups (2-5), called voiding school (VS). Outcome was evaluated after 3 and 12 months by voiding/leakage diary and questionnaire, and at 3 months by uroflow and post-void residual urine as well.

The outcome of VS was independent of age and gender. At follow up at 3 and 12 months, respectively, 35% and 40% of the children were cured and another 30% and 34% improved (P≤0.0001). Compared with the year before start of VS, urinary tract infections decreased from 34% to 6% (P<0.0001). Median residual urine decreased from 15 ml before VS to 6 ml after 3 months (P<0.001).

The concept of VS is a good alternative to individual urotherapy, with the outcome of fewer urinary tract infections and improved continence. Urotherapy for groups of children compared to individual treatment is also expected to have financial benefits.