Parasacral transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in children with overactive bladder: comparison between sessions administered two and three times weekly

Maria Luiza Veiga, Kaíse Oliveira, Vanessa Batista, Ananda Nacif, Ana Aparecida Martinelli Braga, Ubirajara Barroso

This study compares the results achieved following parasacral TENS administered using two different weekly schedules. Children of at least four years of age with a diagnosis of pure overactive bladder were included in this randomized clinical trial and treated with parasacral TENS (2 versus 3 sessions per week). All the participants also underwent standard urotherapy. Sixteen children were included in the twice-weekly group and eighteen in the three times weekly group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to sex; however, there was a difference in age. There were no significant differences regarding complete resolution of urinary symptoms, with 8 children (50%) in the twice-weekly group and 11 children (61%) in the three times weekly group having their symptoms completely resolved (p=0.73). There was a significant difference in the DVSS score in both groups following TENS treatment compared to baseline (p=0.0001 for both groups), but not between groups. Evaluation of the bladder diary showed no difference between the groups before or after treatment. For children with overactive bladder who are unable to undergo parasacral TENS treatment three times weekly, the method can be administered successfully at twice-weekly sessions.