E-Posters-A Pilot Study of Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation for the treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/ Bladder Pain Syndrome

A Pilot Study of Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation for the treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/ Bladder Pain Syndrome - Neha Talreja Sudol, M.D

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This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). PTNS is an alternative neuromodulation treatment approved for urinary urgency and frequency. The study included 16 women who completed the treatment and evaluated their symptoms using various questionnaires and scales.<br /><br />The primary outcome was the proportion of subjects experiencing moderate or marked improvement in overall symptoms after 12 PTNS sessions. The secondary outcomes included changes in voids per day, visual analog scale (VAS) scores for bladder pain, O'Leary-Sant IC symptom, and problem indexes, and adverse events.<br /><br />While most subjects reported an improvement in urinary symptoms, a sustained and clinically important improvement could not be detected. The limitations of the study included a small sample size, mild-to-moderate baseline symptoms, and a high attrition rate.<br /><br />This study is the first to evaluate PTNS effectiveness on urinary urgency and frequency in women with IC/BPS. Previous studies have shown promising results in reducing pain intensity and frequency. However, more research is needed to provide a clinical guideline for the treatment of this chronic and debilitating condition. Future studies should include larger cohorts of women with more severe symptoms.<br /><br />Among the 10 subjects who completed treatment, 50% experienced moderate or marked improvement in their symptoms at visit 6, and 33% continued to be responders at visit 12. There was no significant difference in symptoms between visit 6 and visit 12.<br /><br />In conclusion, this pilot study suggests that PTNS may have some benefit in improving symptoms of IC/BPS, but further research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in larger cohorts with more severe symptoms.

Keywords

pilot study

percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation

interstitial cystitis

bladder pain syndrome

neuromodulation treatment

urinary urgency

symptom improvement

visual analog scale

chronic condition

larger cohorts