Study of the effectiveness of different pelvic floor muscle training methods for improving urinary incontinence in patients with prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy

Abstract

Introduction: To compare the effects of different pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) modes on improving iatrogenic stress urinary incontinence (SUI) recovery in prostate cancer (PCa) patients after radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: PCa patients who underwent RP were prospectively enrolled and randomized into standard PFMT (S-PFMT) group, somatosensory interactive PFMT (SI-PFMT, an enhanced PFMT) group, and standard PFMT combined with magnetic stimulation (S-PFMT+MS) group. SUI status was evaluated through the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) scores and 1-hour pad test. Results: 101 subjects were enrolled, including 48 in S-PFMT group, 39 in SI-PFMT group, and 14 in S-PFMT+MS group. All groups showed significant ICIQ-UI SF score improvement at 3 and 6 months post-RP compared with baseline (all p < 0.001). At 6 months post-RP, significant improvement of 1-hour pad test result was observed (p = 0.012). Compared with those in the other two groups, patients in the S-PFMT+MS group exhibited significantly better SUI improvement (p = 0.033 vs. S-PFMT; p = 0.011 vs. SI-PFMT) at 6 months. Bayesian survival analysis revealed the superior efficacy of the S-PFMT+MS intervention over an extended period. Conclusions: PCa patients may benefit from magnetic stimulation in addition to standard PFMT for post-RP SUI recovery. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: HKUCTR-3029, https://www.hkuctr.com/.