Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation for the treatment of urinary frequency, urinary urgency, and urge incontinence: results from a community-based clinic

Abstract

Overactive bladder affects 16% of the adult population. This retrospective analysis evaluated the application of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS), a minimally invasive neuromodulation therapy, in a population of patients who failed to achieve adequate control of symptoms of urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and urinary incontinence with conservative treatments. A course of 12 PTNS sessions was prescribed and administered in the context of an independent community-based, nurse practitioner-led continence practice. The results of this analysis indicated that patients treated with PTNS therapy experienced statistically significant decreases in both day and night voids, and in episodes of urge incontinence. This study confirmed the results of previous studies indicating that PTNS therapy is a safe and effective treatment that can be successfully incorporated in a community-based setting.