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Transvaginal electrical stimulation for female urinary incontinence
L Brubaker1, J T Benson, A Bent
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL 60612-3873, USA.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|October 10, 1997
Summary
Transvaginal electrical stimulation effectively treated detrusor overactivity in women. This treatment showed significant improvement for detrusor instability but not for genuine stress incontinence.
Area of Science:
- Urogynecology
- Pelvic floor dysfunction
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Urinary incontinence is a prevalent condition affecting women's quality of life.
- Detrusor instability and genuine stress incontinence are common forms requiring effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of transvaginal electrical stimulation for urinary incontinence.
- To assess both objective and subjective improvements in women with incontinence.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted.
- 121 women with detrusor instability, genuine stress incontinence, or mixed incontinence participated.
- Assessments included urodynamic testing, quality-of-life scales, and urinary diaries over 8 weeks.
Main Results:
- Transvaginal electrical stimulation cured detrusor instability in 49% of participants (p = 0.0004).
- No significant improvement was observed for genuine stress incontinence in either the active or sham device groups.
- The study achieved a 100% completion rate with 121 women across four centers.
Conclusions:
- Transvaginal electrical stimulation demonstrates potential as an effective treatment for detrusor overactivity.
- This therapy may be beneficial for women with detrusor overactivity, even when co-occurring with genuine stress incontinence.