The long term effect of extracorporeal magnetic innervation therapy with pelvic floor muscle exercise for stress urinary incontinence

Abstract

Purpose: Extracorporeal magnetic innervation (ExMI) therapy has been known to be safe and immediately effective in stress urinary incontinence (SUI). However, no long term follow-up results have been reported. Therefore; herein, are reported our results from a two year follow-up study on ExMI therapy, with pelvic floor muscle exercises, for SUI. Materials and Methods: The study group was comprised of 94 patients with SUI. ExMI therapy was performed for 20 minutes (1OHz and 50Hz for each 10 minutes), twice a week, for 6 weeks. Thereafter, 44 of the 94 patients underwent pelvic floor muscle exercises. Objective measures (quality-of-life surveys, pad changes, and leak episodes per day) were evaluated before, immediately after and 24 months after the ExMI therapy. Results: After 6-week of ExMI therapy, the quality-of-life score improved from 5.1 ± 0.9 to 1.8 ± 1.1. The mean frequency of pad changes was reduced from 2.1±1.6 to 1.1±1.0. The mean frequency of leak episodes was also reduced from 2.8±1.8 to 1.7±1.5 times. After 24 months, the 44 patients having also undergone pelvic floor muscle exercise had persistent improvements in their leak episodes per day compared to the 50 patients that had not. Conclusions: When ExMI therapy was followed by pelvic floor muscle exercises, the favorable effect in leak episodes per day after ExMI therapy may persist for at least 24 months.