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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Urology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1450634
This article is part of the Research Topic Reviews in Pediatric Urology 2024 View all 13 articles

The efficacy of parasacral transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PTENS) for the treatment of overactive bladder in children: A systematic review and metaanalysis

Provisionally accepted
Zhuoqi Cheng Zhuoqi Cheng Yumeng Chai Yumeng Chai Zhongbao Zhou Zhongbao Zhou *Yong Zhang Yong Zhang *
  • Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aim: Despite the presence of published evidence in recent decades suggesting an improvement in overactive bladder (OAB) with the utilization of parasacral transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PTENS), there is currently a lack of consensus guidelines for therapy. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of PTENS on children with OAB.: A search was carried out using EMBASE, PUBMED, and the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) to find eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to May 1st, 2023. From the literature review, 8 RCTs (351 participants) comparing PTENS and other treatment (standard urotherapy/anticholinergics/ Biofeedback/ placebo stimulation) were considered. Results: The overall complete response rate with PTENS was 1.90 times that of children undergoing other treatment (RR: 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI: 1.45, 2.49]). No significant differences in mean number of dysfunctional voiding score system (P=0.26), mean number of maximum voided volume(P=0.79), mean number of average voided volume(P=0.94), mean number of voiding frequency(P=0.31) and the reduce number of children with incontinence episodes(P=0.81), on the reduction of children with constipation, PTENS group had a better effect (P=0.01). Regarding the reduction of children with constipation, PTENS showed better effect than control groups. Conclusions: In summary, PTENS has demonstrated better response rates and fewer side effects compared to conventional first-line treatments such as standard urotherapy and antimuscarinic drugs. Clinicians should consider the individual circumstances when treating children with OAB. However, it is important to note that the findings of this study are limited by the small sample size and imperfect outcomes. Further high-quality RCTs are needed to establish the most effective treatment protocol.

    Keywords: Zhuoqi Cheng: Data collection, data management, data analysis, Manuscript writing Yumeng Chai: Data collection, manuscript writing, Manuscript editing Zhongbao Zhou: Project development, Manuscript editing Yong Zhang: Project development, Manuscript editing child

    Received: 17 Jun 2024; Accepted: 03 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Cheng, Chai, Zhou and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zhongbao Zhou, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
    Yong Zhang, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.