ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Chronic pelvic pain is a common problem that has a high impact on quality of life of patients who are affected. The technique of percutaneous neuromodulation by electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve (Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation PTNS) is described by Stoller for the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome in the 90s is currently being tested in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 35 patients with chronic pelvic pain: 17 were treated with a protocol based on 12 PTNS stimulation sessions performed weekly (Group A), 18 were treated with a protocol based on 12 sessions PTNS stimulation performed 3 times a week (group B). All patients were evaluated before and after treatment, by means of diary quality of life score (I-QoL, SF36) and proctologic examination. RESULTS: At the end of treatment 11/17 patients (63%) in group A and 12/18 patients (67%) in group B were considered a successes. Overall 4/11 (36%) patients in group A and 5/11 (45%) patients in group B recovered completely after treatment. In both groups, patients reported a subjective improvement after 6-8 stimulation sessions. At follow-up 36/8 months there were more complications. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the use of PTNS in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain shows encouraging results in patients not responding to standard analgesic therapy.
