Sacral neuromodulation and pregnancy: Results of a national survey carried out for the neuro-urology committee of the French Association of Urology (AFU).

AIMS: To assess the impact of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) on pregnancy and vice-versa, by identifying women who had received SNM for lower-urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and had become pregnant. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out based on responses to an on-line questionnaire sent to practitioners listed on the InterStim enCaptureTM National Registry. Questions were related to pre-pregnancy health and SNM efficacy, deactivation of the device, its impact on LUTS, childbirth, the infant, its reactivation and postpartum effectiveness. RESULTS: Twenty-seven pregnancies were recorded among 21 women. Six women had had a pregnancy prior to implantation, two of whom had had a c-section. A total of 18.5% of women had the device disabled prior to conception. The others had their device disabled during the first trimester and did not reactivate it before delivery. Complications were reported in 25.9% of pregnancies: six women had urinary infections, including three of the four treated for chronic retention of urine (CRU), and 1 woman had pain at the stimulation site. There were 24 live births (including one premature birth and four c-sections), one spontaneous miscarriage and two voluntary interruptions of pregnancy. No neonatal disorders have been reported. Effectiveness of sacral neuromodulation decreased in 20% in postpartum. CONCLUSIONS: In 27 pregnancies established during SNM for LUTS, 18.5% of patients deactivated their case before pregnancy and the others switched it off during the first trimester. Three-quarters of women with CRU had urinary infection. No adverse effects on fetuses were found. SNM effectiveness deteriorated in 20% cases after childbirth.

Cranberry versus placebo in the prevention of urinary infections in multiple sclerosis: a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess the usefulness of cranberry extract in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients suffering from urinary disorders. METHODS: In total, 171 adult MS outpatients with urinary disorders presenting at eight centers were randomized (stratification according to center and use of clean intermittent self-catheterization) to cranberry versus placebo in a 1-year, prospective, double-blind study that was analyzed using a sequential method on an intent-to-treat basis. An independent monitoring board analyzed the results of the analyses each time 40 patients were assessed on the main endpoint. Cranberry extract (36 mg proanthocyanidins per day) or a matching placebo was taken by participants twice daily for 1 year. The primary endpoint was the time to first symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI), subject to validation by a validation committee. RESULTS: The second sequential analyses allowed us to accept the null hypothesis (no difference between cranberry and placebo). There was no difference in time to first symptomatic UTI distribution across 1 year, with an estimated hazard ratio of 0.99, 95% CI [0.61, 1.60] (p = 0.97). Secondary endpoints and tolerance did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION: Taking cranberry extract versus placebo twice a day did not prevent UTI occurrence in MS patients with urinary disorders. Trial Registration NCT00280592.

Transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation for treatment of the overactive bladder syndrome in multiple sclerosis: results of a multicenter prospective study.

AIMS: Electrostimulation is an established therapeutic option for neurogenic urinary disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the noninvasive technique of transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation (TPTNS) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and troublesome symptoms of an overactive bladder (OAB). METHODS: A multicentric study enrolled 70 MS patients, suffering from OAB for a 3-month study period. INTERVENTION: Daily sessions of 20 min of TPTNS were provided. No change of associated treatments during the study period. The primary outcome measurement was Urgency and Frequency reported by bladder diary and symptom score performed before the treatment (Day 0, D0) and at D30 and D90. The secondary outcomes measurements were continence, symptom score, quality of life, psychosocial burden at DO, D30, and D90 and cystometry at baseline, with and without TPTNS and at D90. RESULTS: Clinical improvement of OAB was shown in 82.6% and 83.3% of the patients on D30 and D90, respectively, with significant improvement of primary and secondary outcomes compared to baseline. The initial acute cystometric response to TPTNS was positive in 51.2% of the patients (increase of >30% of cystometric capacity and/or reflex volume), without correlation with TPTNS clinical efficiency. The procedure was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic TPTNS appears to be effective in the management of severe OAB in MS, without compromising bladder emptying or inducing side effect. Treatment may be effective even in the absence of an acute cystometric effect. Additional works are required to demonstrate long-term efficacy of TPTNS.

Intravesical glucidic capsaicin versus glucidic solvent in neurogenic detrusor overactivity: a double blind controlled randomized study.

AIMS: Many studies report the use of alcoholic capsaicin instillation to treat neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) in spinal cord injured (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, poor tolerability due to the irritative effect of the ethanol solvent limits its use. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a new formulation of capsaicin in a glucidic solution in a multicenter clinical trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients (26MS/7SCI) suffering from urinary incontinence due to refractory NDO were prospectively enrolled in a double-blind placebo controlled study and randomized to capsaicin group (CG, N = 17) or solvent group (SG, N = 16). They respectively received an intravesical instillation of 100 ml capsaicin diluted in glucidic solvent (CG) or glucidic solvent alone (SG). Efficacy (voiding chart, maximum cystometric capacity (MCC)) and tolerability were evaluated on days 0 (D0), 30 and 90. RESULTS: On D0, groups were homogeneous. On D30, significant improvement of overactive bladder syndrome and an increase in MCC were shown in CG, whereas there were no improvement in SG. No significant improvement was shown on D90 in both groups. There were no significant differences between groups regarding prevalence, duration, or intensity of side effects, except for short duration pubic pain during instillation more often reported in CG (58.8%) than in SG (12.5%) (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This placebo controlled study using glucidic capsaicin confirms its short-term efficacy in NDO patients. Global tolerance of glucidic capsaicin appeared satisfactory. Long-term efficacy and tolerance of repeated glucidic capsaicin instillations need to be evaluated.

Intravesical capsaicin versus resiniferatoxin for the treatment of detrusor hyperreflexia in spinal cord injured patients: a double-blind, randomized, controlled study.

PURPOSE: Chemical defunctionalization of C-fiber bladder afferents with intravesical vanilloids such as capsaicin (CAP) or resiniferatoxin (RTX) improves detrusor hyperreflexia in humans and animals. The little existing data comparing the efficacy and tolerance of these 2 vanilloid agents seem to favor RTX in 10% alcohol over CAP, which is usually diluted in 30% alcohol. We compared the efficacy and tolerability of the 2 vanilloid agonists in what to our knowledge is the first randomized, controlled study comparing nonalcohol CAP vs RTX in 10% alcohol in neurogenic patients with detrusor hyperreflexia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single center, randomized, double-blind, parallel groups study included 39 spinal cord injured adults with detrusor hyperreflexia. On day 0 patients were randomized to receive 1, 100 ml intravesical instillation of 100 nMol/l RTX diluted in 10% ethanol or 1 mmol/l CAP diluted in glucidic solvent. Efficacy (voiding chart and cystomanometry) and tolerability were evaluated during a 3-month followup. RESULTS: On day 30 clinical and urodynamical improvement was found in 78% and 83% of patients with CAP vs 80% and 60% with RTX, respectively, without a significant difference between the 2 treated groups. The benefit remained in two-thirds of the 2 groups on day 90. There were no significant differences in regard to the incidence, nature or duration of side effects in CAP vs RTX treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly argue for the importance of accounting for the role of vanilloid solute when interpreting the efficacy and tolerance of vesical vanilloid instillation in detrusor hyperreflexia cases. They suggest that a glucidic solute is a valuable solvent for vanilloid instillation.