Does electrostimulation cure urinary incontinence?

A followup study is presented of a prospective series of women treated with an inflatable intravaginal electrode carrier and an external pulse generator. The devices were individually adjustable with respect to electrode positioning and stimulation parameters. The study included 40 women with detrusor instability and/or genuine stress incontinence. The primary results for urge symptoms were favorable. Of the patients 73 per cent were primarily free of symptoms during treatment and 45 per cent remained free of symptoms after withdrawal of treatment, including two-thirds in whom re-education persisted during the followup of 6 years. Of the patients with genuine stress incontinence 40 per cent exhibited persistent re-education. There were considerable discrepancies between symptomatic cure or improvement, and the urodynamic findings at followup. Intravaginal electrical stimulation may be regarded as the treatment of choice for urge incontinence due to detrusor instability, and in mixed stress and urge incontinence. The method also is an alternative to an operation in some women with genuine stress incontinence.