Does electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor make any change in urodynamic parameters? When to expect a cure and improvement in women with stress urinary incontinence?

OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed at determining the effects of pelvic floor electrical stimulation assessed by the number of leakages per day recorded in a voiding diary over 90 days of treatment and urodynamic parameters. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective study was carried out with 34 patients presenting stress urinary incontinence who were treated and evaluated by voiding diaries and urodynamic tests. The primary outcome measure was the number of leakages during the 90 days of treatment. Urodynamic tests were performed before and after treatment. RESULTS: In our series, average and maximum flow rates and residual urine volume were within normal range in all subjects before and after treatment. Maximum urethral closure pressure and functional profile length on urethral pressure profiles did not change after treatment. In the cystometry, bladder capacities at the first (p < 0.0082) and maximum sensations (p < 0.01) improved significantly after treatment. During the 90 days of treatment, we observed a gradual drop in the number of leakages. This decrease began around day 22. It dropped in half around day 45, tending to zero close to day 90 of treatment (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The number of incontinent leakage dropped to half around the 8th week, and on average, there was a tendency of the patients to be cured after the 12th week of treatment. At urodynamic studies we observed a significant increase in bladder capacity at the first desire to void and in the maximum cystometric capacity.

Clinical and urodynamic evaluation of women with detrusor instability before and after functional pelvic floor electrostimulation.

Detrusor instability is the second most frequent cause of female urinary incontinence. There are many therapeutic options, including non-invasive and surgical procedures. In this study, we evaluated the effects of pelvic floor vaginal electrostimulation using equipment designed in our institution, over three consecutive months, for treatment of 29 women with detrusor instability. After treatment 22 patients (76%) considered themselves cured or symptomatically improved; seven patients (24%) had no change in symptoms after therapy. There was objective cure and improvement in ten (34.5%) and in eight (27.5%) patients, respectively, and the urodynamic parameters did not change in 11 patients (38%). Electrical stimulation resulted in a gradual decrease in the number of urinary leakage episodes and increase in maximum cystometric capacity in first desire to void and in urinary volume.