A pilot study of the home application of transcutaneous neuromodulation in children with urgency or urge incontinence.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the efficacy of transcutaneous neuromodulation to treat urinary urgency and urge incontinence in children with nonneurological bladder dysfunction.


METHODS
Surface neuromodulation was delivered via skin electrodes away from the genital region for a short duration daily on a home treatment basis. Clinical outcome was measured by 3 tools previously tested for reliability including the frequency volume chart, urgency visual analog scale and accident diary ("Dry Pie").


RESULTS
After at least 1 month of application dryness had improved in 73.3% of children, mean urgency score had improved to equate action at urge as being 'easy to hold on' and there was a significant increase in mean voided volume.


CONCLUSIONS
Initial evaluation of the home application of surface neuromodulation in children with urgency and/or urge incontinence revealed positive results and warrants a randomized controlled investigation. The finding that children were not completely dry with this treatment in isolation suggests that further study is needed to identify optimal treatment duration and stimulus intensity.
Bower
W F
WF
Children's Hospital Westmead, Sydney, St George Hospital, University of New South Wales and School of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Moore
K H
KH
Adams
R D
RD
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000628:therapy*