Results of sacral nerve neuromodulation for double incontinence in adults

Abstract

Faecal incontinence and urinary incontinence are common and often associated. Sacral neurostimulation is a validated technique for treating each of these two types of incontinence, taken separately. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on the results of this treatment for double incontinence. A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library using the keywords "faecal incontinence", "anal incontinence", "urinary incontinence", "urgency", "urinary disorder", "neurostimulation", "sacral nerve stimulation" and "electric nerve stimulation". We limited the search to English-language articles on faecal and urinary incontinence in adults published from 1995 to the present. We identified six articles, comprising 113 patients who were followed for 3-62 months. Improved faecal incontinence was observed in 44-100 % of cases, while improved urinary incontinence was observed in 20-100 % of cases. Patient satisfaction with the correction of double incontinence, both anal and urinary, was highly variable, ranging from 20 to 100 %. As anal incontinence and urinary incontinence are often associated and are sometimes responsive to sacral neuromodulation, it seems attractive to provide such treatment for double incontinence, to improve both digestive and urinary symptoms.