Efficacy of 3 Tesla Functional Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Female Urinary Incontinence
Andrea Braga, Fabiana Castronovo, Giorgio Caccia, Andrea Papadia, Luca Regusci, Marco Torella, Stefano Salvatore, Chiara Scancarello, Fabio Ghezzi, Maurizio Serati
Abstract
Functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) is a new technique for the conservative treatment of Urinary incontinence (UI), based on magnetic induction. It induces controlled depolarization of the nerves, resulting in pelvic muscle contraction and sacral S2-S4 roots neuromodulation. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the new 3 Tesla FMS chair, both in patients with pure stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and in women with pure overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. A prospective observational study was conducted in our urogynaecologic unit. All the patients involved were consecutive women with pure SUI or pure OAB symptoms treated by a 3 Tesla electromagnetic chair. The primary outcome was a subjective outcome evaluation by the PGI-I Scale and a patient-satisfaction scale. The secondary outcome was the change score of the UDI-6, IIQ-7, ICIQ-SF and OAB-q SF questionnaires from baseline to final visit. At 2 months follow-up, 28 out of 60 patients (47%) with SUI symptoms and 20 out of 40 patients (50%) with OAB symptoms declared themselves cured. Considering cured and improved patients, the subjective cure rates were 68.3% (41/60) and 70% (28/40) for patients with SUI and OAB symptoms, respectively. The results of this study showed that the 3 Tesla electromagnetic chair may be an effective option for the treatment of UI.