Transurethral electrical bladder stimulation: A followup report

Transurethral electrical bladder stimulation (TEBS) initially proposed to rehabilitate the neurogenic bladder has been promoted in the United States since the mid 1980s. The ultimate goal of TEBS is volitional voiding. Since January 1989 we performed 938 sessions of stimulation comprising 64 TEBS series in 25 patients with neurogenic bladders. A cystometrogram was performed before each series of stimulation to monitor progress, and at the time of this review parental impressions of the stimulation were obtained by a telephone interview questionnaire. The initial evaluation cystometrogram before stimulation revealed that 18 patients (72%) had bladder contractions. After TEBS 24 patients (96%) manifest contractions. Before stimulation only 3 children sensed the contractions, while during stimulation half of the patients perceived the contractions. A cystometrogram performed before each series demonstrated a greater than 20% increase in the age adjusted bladder capacity in 6 of the 18 patients (33%) with serial studies. Improvements in the end filling pressure defined by clinically significant decreases were observed in 5 of these patients (28%). Results of the telephone questionnaire revealed that the parents perceived a benefit from stimulation more often than the urodynamic studies could confirm. In our experience TEBS is a time- consuming, labor intensive technique. The limited urodynamic benefits our patients achieved have not materially altered the daily voiding regimen and, because of these factors, we are not enrolling any new patients in our TEBS program.