OBJECTIVE: To investigate and compare the effectiveness of various treatment protocols for the treatment of women with idiopathic detrusor overactivity. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Departments of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hacettepe University. SUBJECTS: Forty-six subjects were randomized to three groups. INTERVENTIONS: The first group received only pharmacotherapy, the second group received only physiotherapy and in the third group pharmacotherapy was combined with physiotherapy (combined therapy group). MAIN MEASURES: All patients were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of treatment. Assessment parameters were maximum cystometric capacity, electromyographic activity of pelvic floor muscles, voiding diary parameters, the amount of urine leakage and the quality of life score. RESULTS: The maximum cystometric capacity and the electromyographic activity of pelvic floor muscles increased significantly and the number of voids/day and incontinence episodes/day, and the amount of urine leakage reduced significantly (p < 0.05) in both physiotherapy and combined therapy groups while there was no significant difference inp the pharmacotherapy group. After treatment, the number of voids/day increased by 0.3 +/- 3.4 in the pharmacotherapy group (p > 0.05) and decreased by 5.1 +/- 5.5 and 4.7 +/- 5.6 in the physiotherapy and combined therapy groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Statistically significant improvements were observed in all groups according to the number of voids/night and the quality of life scores at the end of the treatment. CONCLUSION: The physiotherapy protocol we introduced in the present study with or without anticholinergic therapy has a substantial positive impact on the treatment of female patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity.

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