Effect of electroacupuncture combined with tolterodine on treating female mixed urinary incontinence.

PURPOSE:To examine the effectiveness of combination therapy of electroacupuncture and tolterodine in treating female patients with mixed urinary incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Seventy-one women with mixed urinary incontinence were recruited to receive electroacupuncture therapy or combination therapy with electroacupuncture and tolterodine 2 mg orally twice a day for 8 weeks. In electroacupuncture therapy, the acupoints, including BL32 (Ci Liao), BL35 (Hui Yang), SP6 (San Yin Jiao), and ST36 (Zu San Li), were selected with the stimulation of a low-frequency (20 Hz) disperse-dense wave. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire score, the number of incontinence episodes, and urine leakage were measured before and after the treatment to evaluate the effect. RESULTS:Response rates were 73.5% and 78.4% in electroacupuncture therapy group and in the combination therapy group respectively. No significant differences were found when group outcomes were compared. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire score, the number of incontinence episodes, and urine leakage improved significantly (P < .001) after 8 weeks compared with baseline values in both groups. Significantly more patients in the combination therapy group experienced more than 50% reduction in the number of incontinent episodes than in the electroacupuncture group (75.7% vs 58.8%, P < .01). They also had significantly less urine leakage than those in electroacupuncture therapy group (11.2 ± 7.6 g vs 15 ± 9.1 g) (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS:The effect of electroacupuncture for female mixed urinary incontinence may be enhanced by tolterodine.