Magnetic stimulation of the sacral roots is a potential treatment for patients with stress incontinence, according to a report in the October issue of the Journal of Urology.

Dr. Tetsuyuki Fujishiro and a team from the University of Tokyo studied the acute urodynamic effects and short-term efficacy of magnetic stimulation in 75 patients with stress incontinence. "A 15 Hz repetitive magnetic stimulation of the sacral roots with 50% intensity output and duration of 5 seconds per minute was applied for 30 minutes," they explain.

In 13 patients evaluated for urodynamic effects during magnetic stimulation, they observed an increase in urethral closure pressure and a significant increase in bladder capacity. Magnetic stimulation of the sacral roots also had significant short-term benefits, as evidenced by the 62 women who participated in the placebo-controlled trial. Compared with sham stimulation, active stimulation was associated with a significant improvement in symptoms of stress incontinence and quality of life.

"The improvement rate in the active stimulation group was 74%," the authors report, "which was significantly higher than the 32% in the sham stimulation group."

The procedure was well tolerated, according to the investigators. "No patients in the active group complained of any discomfort or pain, some napped during the procedure and requested repetitive treatment," they report.

Dr. Fujishiro and colleagues concluded that "magnetic stimulation of the sacral roots may be a promising alternative treatment for stress incontinence." They are currently involved in a long-term efficacy study of repetitive magnetic stimulation of the sacral roots for stress incontinence.

(From Reuters Health)