title: Success rates, quality of life, and feasibility of sacral nerve stimulation in elderly patients: 1-year follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) frequently occurs in elderly. International guidelines recommend pharmacological therapy as first-line treatment, but elderly do not respond in many cases. The purpose of this study was to report cure rates, quality of life, and feasibility of sacral neurostimulation (SNS) as an alternative option in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  From October 2008 to April 2010, women >65 years with UUI who were refractory to pharmacological treatments were enrolled in this study and underwent SNS. At 12 months after surgery, patients were asked to compile a 3-day voiding diary and a urogynecologic standardized questionnaire: the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighteen patients met our inclusion criteria. Fifteen (83.3 %) underwent implantation of the neuromodulator. Twelve months after surgery, an overall success rate of 83.3 % was registered. A statistically significant difference (P<0.0001) between baseline and postsurgery OAB-q scores was recorded.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SNS can be considered an alternative treatment for UUI in older women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Rome Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Angioli
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montera
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Plotti
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aloisi
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montone
authors.forename: Marzio Angelo
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zullo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D058542:Implantable Neurostimulators; D011788:Quality of Life; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D053202:Urinary Incontinence, Urge / Q000628:therapy*