The Effect of Electrical Stimulation and Biofeedback for Female Urinary Incontinence

Han, Hae Sung; Kim, Jae Il; Park, Seok San

Abstract

PURPOSE: The effectiveness of intravaginal electrical stimulation and biofeedback combined with pelvic muscle exercise was evaluated in stress, urge and mixed incontinence, and the success rates of each urinary incontinence were compared.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eighty-nine women between 26 and 75 years of age (mean age 49 years) were studied. Based upon history and the results of clinical investigation, the patients were divided into three groups: pure stress incontinence (39 patients), pure urge incontinence (24 patients), mixed incontinence (26 patients). Also, patients presented with urge incontinence was divided two groups: motor urge incontinence (27 patients) and sensory urge incontinence (23 patients). All patient were treated with combination of biofeedback and intravaginal electrical stimulation, and then the success rate of this combination therapy for urinary incontinence was evaluated
RESULTS
The overall success rate was 76.4% (68/89). We found a 69.2% (27/39) success rate in patients with pure stress incontinence, 75% (18/24) in pure urge incontinence, and 88.5% (23/26) in mixed incontinence. There were no significant differences of success rate among three incontinence. Also, there were statistically significant differences in success rates between motor urge incontinence and sensory urge incontinence (70.4% vs. 95.7%)(p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that biofeedback and intravaginal electrical stimulation areeffective treatment for urinary incontinence if we select appropriate patients, and considered as a treatment option in sensory urge incontinence as well as motor urge incontinence.