Randomized trial of transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation to treat urge urinary incontinence in older women

Abstract

Introduction The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) to treat urge urinary incontinence (UUI) in older women. Material and methods The study design was a randomized clinical trial conducted on 51 elderly women (>60 years) with UUI. All were treated with 12 weeks of bladder retraining and pelvic floor muscle exercises, and 25 were randomly selected to receive TTNS in addition to the standard therapy. The cases were evaluated at the baseline and after the end of therapy by 3-day bladder diary, quality of life questionnaires (QoL), and subjective response. Results Of the patients, 68.0% in TTNS group reported cure or improvement vs. 34.6% in the control group (P=0.017). TTNS showed significant improvement in most areas of QoL and in UUI parameters when compared with the control group. Conclusion TTNS is efficacious to treat UUI in older women. © The International Urogynecological Association 2010.