Abstract
In order to explore the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) for chronic bowel and bladder dysfunction after traumatic spinal cord injury, 14 patients were treated with electroacupuncture once a day, five times a week for the first four weeks, and once every other day, three times a week for the following four weeks. The patients were then followed up for six months. After treatment, four (4/14, 28.57%) patients resumed normal voiding; six (6/14, 42.86%) resumed normal voiding for no less than half of all micturition behaviors; four (4/14, 28.57%) required supplementary urination methods for higher than half of all micturition behaviors. These effects persisted during followup. Mean postvoid RUV decreased by 190.29 ± 101.87 mL (P < 0.01) after treatment and by 198.86 ± 112.18 mL (P < 0.01) during followup. Patients' weekly urinary incontinence frequency decreased 7.14 ± 46.34 times/week (P = 0.036) after treatment and decreased 49.86 ± 44.38 times/week during followup. After treatment, four (4/14, 28.57%) patients resumed normal bowel movements (P = 0.025); five (5/14, 35.71%) reduced the dependence on supplementary defecation methods; five (5/14, 35.71%) had no changes. In patients with chronic bowel and bladder dysfunction after traumatic SCI, EA may provide a valuable alternative tool in improving patients' self-controlled bowel and bladder functions with minimal side effects.
Highlights
Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is an accidental disaster, causing unexpected suffering physically, emotionally, and costly to patients [1]
Urological complications of neurogenic bladder caused by traumatic SCI consist of inability to empty the bladder, urinary tract infections (UTIs), incontinence, and upper urinary tract deterioration [2]
In the present study, we aimed to explore the effects of EA for chronic bowel and bladder dysfunction after traumatic SCI
Summary
Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is an accidental disaster, causing unexpected suffering physically, emotionally, and costly to patients [1]. In patients with SCI, treatments for bladder dysfunctions may involve conservative treatments (drug treatments, catheterization, assisted bladder emptying, rehabilitation, and external appliances), minimally invasive treatments (botulinum toxin A injections in bladder, intravesical vanilloid treatment, sphincterotomy, and ureteral reimplantation), and surgical treatments (autoaugmentation, sacral anterior root stimulation, sacral neuromodulation, and artificial urinary sphincter) [5]; treatments for bowel dysfunctions may include nonpharmacological therapies (suppositories, reflex stimulation, abdominal massage, assistive devices, and others), pharmacological agents (prucalopride, metoclopramide, neostigmine, and others), and surgical interventions (implantation of electrical stimulation systems, colostomy, antegrade continence enema, and enema continence catheter) [6] These treatments are effective to some extent, none can help patients regain the self-controlled bladder and bowel function.
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