Author: Dylan T Wolff1, Christina Ross2, Peyton Lee2, Gopal Badlani3, Catherine A Matthews3, Robert J Evans3, Stephen J Walker4
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Urology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
<sup>2</sup> Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
<sup>3</sup> Department of Urology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
<sup>4</sup> Department of Urology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Electronic address: Swalker@Wakehealth.edu.
Conference/Journal: Urology
Date published: 2022 May 27
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2022.05.021. , Word Count: 245
Objectives:
To evaluate the efficacy of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy for symptom and pain management in women with non-bladder centric interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS).
Methods:
Women with non-bladder centric IC/BPS and a numeric rating scale score for pelvic pain ≥ 6 underwent twice-daily 8-minute full body PEMF therapy sessions for 4 weeks. The primary outcome metric was a reduction in pelvic pain score ≥ 2 points. A 7-day voiding diary (collected at baseline and conclusion), three validated symptom scores, and the Short Form-36 Quality of Life questionnaire (completed at baseline, conclusion of treatment, and 8-week follow-up), were used to assess secondary outcomes. Treatment effects were analyzed via Wilcoxon-signed rank test; p<0.05 was considered significant.
Results:
The 4-week treatment protocol was completed by 8 of 10 enrolled patients, and 7/8 (87.5%) had a significant reduction in pelvic pain (-3.0 points, p=0.011) after 4 weeks. There was also a significant decrease in scores on all validated IC/BPS questionnaires, daily number of voids, and nocturia symptom score (p<0.05). Significant increases in several quality-of-life questionnaire sub-scores were also identified at 4 weeks (p<0.05). At 8-week post-therapy, the positive effects were somewhat attenuated, yet 4/8 patients (50%) continued to have significant pain reduction (p=0.047). No adverse events or side effects were reported.
Conclusions:
Whole body pulsed electromagnetic field therapy is an alternative treatment option for women with chronic bladder pain syndrome that warrants investigation through comparative trials.
Keywords: case series; clinical trial; interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome; pulsed electromagnetic field.
PMID: 35636637 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2022.05.021