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Sacral neuromodulation effective for treating neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction: NEJM
Switzerland: In the short-term, sacral neuromodulation (SNM) was shown to be effective in correcting refractory NLUTD (neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction) in well-selected neurologic patients, according to a study published in NEJM Evidence.
Controlling lower urinary tract function is a multilevel, complex process comprising the central and peripheral nervous system. About a million people worldwide are affected by neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction, which majorly impacts the quality of life and poses a considerable economic burden on health care systems. Standard treatments such as catheterization and antimuscarinics often remain unsatisfactory owing to side effects associated with their use or a lack of efficacy.
Sacral neuromodulation is a well-established treatment for non-NLUTD, but there is a shortage of randomized controlled trials showing benefits in NLUTD patients. Considering this, Martina D. Liechti, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland, and colleagues assessed the safety and efficacy of SNM for treating patients with NLUTD in a controlled trial.
For this purpose, the researchers recruited patients with refractory NLUTD (and intended SNM) in this sham-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial at four Swiss SNM referral centers. Following placement of a lead in the sacral foramina S3 (rarely, S4), all patients went through SNM testing. If successful (more than 50% improvement in critical variables of bladder diary), a neurostimulator was implanted for a permanent solution.
Neuromodulation was optimized using sub-sensory stimulation for two months using sub sensory stimulation with individually adjusted parameters. The neurostimulator, after that, remained on or was switched off (random allocation in the ratio of 1:1 to group SNM ON or SNM OFF, respectively) for two months after a neurologic reevaluation. The success of SNM was the study's primary outcome.
The study revealed the following findings:
· Of 124 patients undergoing SNM testing, 52% had successfully improved lower urinary tract function.
· Of these, 60 patients (median age, 49.5 years; 43 women) were randomly assigned to the intervention.
· Following two months of intervention, the SNM ON group demonstrated a success rate of 76%.
· In the SNM OFF group, 42% of patients showed sustained SNM effects despite their neurostimulator being switched off during the last two months (odds ratio, 4.35).
· During the entire study period, there were 11 adverse events (6 dropouts; no dropouts during the intervention phase).
"We found that SNM was effective sans any device-related side effects following the completion of testing and optimization phases in the group of highly selected neurologic patients," the researchers wrote.
"The randomized study design proved SNM-specific treatment effects and the need for continuous SNM," they conclude. "There is a need for larger and longer studies before fully understanding the potential of this method."
Reference:
The study, "Sacral Neuromodulation for Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction," was published in NEJM Evidence.
MSc. Biotechnology
Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at  editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751
Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751