The impact of using electromyographic biofeedback on pelvic floor rehabilitation in men with post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence: a meta-analysis.

Abstract

Objective: To identify the impact of using electromyographic biofeedback on pelvic floor rehabilitation in men with post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence.

Materials and methods: Searches in the databases were carried out: Pubmed/Medline, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and in gray literature. The study included randomized clinical trials that treated men with post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence using electromyographic biofeedback in pelvic rehabilitation compared to other resources or no treatment. Studies including incontinent men with sphincter implants, pharmacological treatments, or studies with incomplete data were excluded. Assessment of risk of bias using the Critical Appraisal Tool developed by Joanna Briggs Institute for randomized clinical trials and the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of evidence of meta-analysis results were used.

Results: 16 articles were included, of which, 7 studies were subjected to two meta-analyses to assess the relative risk of men becoming continent and the reduction of urine loss through pad. Participants who received treatment showed a 1.78 times greater risk of achieving continence compared to those who did not receive treatment (RR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.29‒2.45; I² = 77%). The limitations of the present study are the lack of high-quality evidence, in which existing trials suffered from a lack of standardized outcome measures.

Conclusion: Electromyographic biofeedback in pelvic rehabilitation seems to contribute to the faster achievement of continence in prostatectomized men compared to those who did not undergo any intervention. Additionally, helps to reduce pad weight.