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A comparative study of transcutaneous interferential electrical stimulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve
Nermeen Mohamed Abdelhalim1,2, Marwa Mohamed Ibrahim3,4
1Department of Physical Therapy, New Kasr El-Aini Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. nermeenmohamed1976@yahoo.com.
Insights
Interferential currents (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) both improved primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) in children. IFC showed superior results in reducing wet nights and enhancing quality of life (QoL) compared to TENS.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Urology
- Neuromodulation Therapies
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is involuntary urination during sleep in children aged 5+ without neurological disorders.
- Primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) affects a significant pediatric population, impacting quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the immediate and short-term effects of interferential currents (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for treating PNE.
- To evaluate the impact of IFC and TENS on the number of wet nights and quality of life (QoL) in children with PNE.
Main Methods:
- A randomized study involving 52 children (aged 7-14) with PNE, divided into IFC and TENS groups.
- Treatment involved 20-minute sessions, 3 times per week for 6 weeks.
- Outcomes measured included wet nights and QoL (using the pediatric incontinence questionnaire - PinQ) at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- Both IFC and TENS significantly reduced wet nights post-treatment (P < 0.05), with IFC showing a greater reduction.
- IFC demonstrated higher rates of full/good response compared to TENS.
- QoL significantly improved in both groups, favoring IFC, with sustained improvements at 6-month follow-up.
Conclusions:
- IFC and TENS offer immediate and short-term benefits for children with PNE.
- IFC appears more effective than TENS in reducing wet nights and improving QoL in the short term.
- Both treatments show sustained positive effects on PNE management and QoL.
Introduction:
Nocturnal enuresis is an infrequent uncontrolled voiding during sleep in a child aged 5 years or more without any congenital or acquired disorders of the central nervous system.
Objective:
To compare immediate and short-term effects of interferential currents (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the treatment of children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) in numbers of wet nights and quality of life (QoL).
Study Design:
52 children aged 7-14 (10.6 ± 1.9) having PNE, were assigned randomly into two groups (26 children for each group). Both IFC and TENS groups continued treatment session for 20 min, 3 sessions per week for 6 weeks. The outcome measures were the number of wet nights, and QoL through pediatric incontinence questionnaire (PinQ).The measurements were evaluated before treatment (Pre-), after the last session (Post-1), and 6 months later (Post-2).
Results:
By comparing the Pre- and Post-1 mean values, the number of wet nights, reduced significantly (P < 0.05) in both groups, in favor of IFC group. Post-1 showed many children with full and good responses and few numbers with partial or no responses to IFC than TENS. Post-1 revealed that PinQ was significantly reduced in both groups in favor of the IFC group (P < 0.05). The values were slightly improved in both groups in Post-2, they were significantly different between Pre- and post-measurements in each group (P < 0.05). Comparison between both groups showed significant differences in the mean values between Post-1 and Post-2 in favor of IFC group (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
IFC and TENS had immediate and short-term improvements in children with PNE by reducing numbers of wet nights and enhancing QoL in favor of the IFC group.
