Pelvic floor electrical stimulation for postprostatectomy urinary incontinence: a meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the role of electrical stimulation (ES) in the recovery of postprostatectomy urinary incontinence (UI).

Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of all available randomized controlled trials comparing ES enhanced pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) with PFMT alone for postprostatectomy UI. We separated in the analysis the continence rate within 3 months or longer than 6 months after operation, which stand for the early and late recovery of UI after operation, respectively. Relative risk (RR) reductions and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for categorical outcomes.

Results: Four studies randomizing 210 cases were included in the meta-analysis. Three studies enrolling 186 cases reported the continence rate within 3 months after radical prostatectomy. The pooled analysis did not show that ES improved early recovery of UI better than did PFMT (RR 1.21; 95% CI = 0.95-1.54, P = .12). All 4 studies provided data for 6-12 months after RP; the pooled analysis did not show a relative benefit (RR = 1.03; 95% CI = 0.88-1.20, P = .73).

Conclusion: Based on available evidence, ES enhanced PFMT did not improve the return to continence more than PFMT in men with postprostatectomy UI.