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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Jul 22;29(1):380.
doi: 10.1186/s40001-024-01979-1.

Meta-analysis of the therapeutic effect of electrical stimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle exercise on female pelvic floor dysfunction

Yaqin Huang  1 , Zhoulu Huang  1 , Yi Ou  1 , Lin Yin  1 , Yuxiao Sun  1 , Huiyan Zong  2   3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Meta-analysis of the therapeutic effect of electrical stimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle exercise on female pelvic floor dysfunction

Yaqin Huang et al. Eur J Med Res. .

Abstract

Objectives: To systematically evaluate the therapeutic effect of electrical stimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle exercise on female pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD).

Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was applied. A computer-based retrieval was performed in the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library from database establishment to September 15, 2023, to identify randomized controlled trials on electrical stimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle function exercise on female PFD. Literature screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation were performed independently by two researchers, and meta-analysis was performed using the statistical software Stata15.0.

Results: 1. In total, 12 randomized controlled trials were included, involving 721 female patients. The overall quality of methodologies employed in the included studies was relatively high. 2. Meta-analysis results showed that electrical stimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle exercise could effectively mitigate the severity of female PFD (SMD = -1.01, 95% CI - 1.78, - 0.25, P < 0.05). 3. This combination treatment demonstrated a significant positive effect on the improvement of pelvic floor muscle strength in female patients (P < 0.05); however, it had no significant effect on the improvement in quality of life (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Compared with pelvic floor muscle exercise alone, electrical stimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle exercise could effectively mitigate the severity of female PFD. It had a notable positive impact on enhancing pelvic floor muscle strength in female patients, although it did not significantly improve quality of life. Future high-quality studies are warranted.

Keywords: Electrical stimulation; Meta-analysis; Pelvic floor dysfunction; Pelvic floor muscle exercise.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Process and results of literature screening
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Bias in included studies
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Bias risk assessment of included studies
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Meta-analysis of the effect of ES combined with PFME on the PFD severity in female patients
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Meta-analysis of the effect of ES combined with PFME on pelvic floor muscle strength in women with PFD
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Meta-analysis of the effect of ES combined with PFME on the quality of life in women with PFD
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Sensitivity analysis of the PFD severity
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Fig. 8
Sensitivity analysis of pelvic floor muscle strength
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Sensitivity analysis of quality of life
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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