Conservative treatment of idiopathic detrusor instability in elderly women

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the conservative treatment of idiopathic detrusor instability in elderly women. It describes the clinical and urodynamic features of the over-active bladder and the role of physiotherapy as well as the various physiotherapeutic techniques in the management of this condition.

METHODS: This is a prospective, uncontrolled clinical trial in which 20 older women aged 55-75 years participated for 8 weeks duration. The study was started on April 2000 at King Fahad Hospital of the University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Therapeutic modalities including bladder training, pelvic floor exercise and electrical stimulation were applied for all subjects.

RESULTS: The first desire to void, maximum capacity, flow rate and voiding intervals was increased in its mean at the end of the study period (P<0.0001), while the means of residual volume and frequency of micturation had significantly decreased at the end of the study (P< 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: The study shows that correctly taught pelvic floor exercise, combined with bladder training, electrical stimulation and restriction of fluids' intake are effective treatment modalities for the idiopathic detrusor instability in elderly women.