Noninvasive High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Therapy in Women With Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Gynecology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Urinary incontinence (UI) significantly impacts quality of life (QoL) despite various treatment options, which often have limitations.
• High-intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) therapy presents a novel, noninvasive approach for pelvic floor muscle (PFM) stimulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and assess the efficacy and safety of HIFEM therapy for treating female UI.
• To summarize existing evidence on HIFEM's impact on UI symptoms and QoL.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across databases including PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, and SCOPUS.
• Keywords used were "women" AND ("High Intensity Electromagnetic Field" OR "Electromagnetic Stimulation") AND ("urinary incontinence" OR "overactive bladder" OR "pelvic floor dysfunction").
• Seven studies meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were analyzed.

Main Results:

• HIFEM therapy significantly reduced UI episodes and improved the ICIQ-UI SF score compared to control groups.
• QoL parameters showed improvement in subgroup analyses, though overall statistical comparability was noted.
• Pooled analyses indicated no significant differences in muscle contraction or resting tone changes between HIFEM and control groups.
• No significant safety issues were reported in the included studies.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence suggests HIFEM is a potentially effective and safe noninvasive treatment for female UI, improving QoL.
• High heterogeneity and potential bias in existing studies necessitate further high-quality, blinded trials with standardized outcomes.
• More research is required to definitively establish the applicability of HIFEM for UI treatment.