Complete continence after botulinum neurotoxin type A injections for refractory idiopathic detrusor overactivity incontinence: patient-reported outcome at 4 weeks

Abstract

Background: Objective improvement following intradetrusor injections of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA) is well documented. Although patient-related outcome measures are highly recommended for monitoring overactive bladder symptoms, no study before has dealt with the question of patient-reported complete continence after BoNTA treatment using validated questionnaires.

Objective: To investigate the change in patient-reported continence rate after intradetrusor injections of BoNTA for treatment of refractory idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO) incontinence.

Design, setting, and participants: Seventy-four patients (51 women, 23 men) with refractory IDO incontinence treated for the first time with intradetrusor injections of 200 U BoNTA were evaluated in this nonrandomised, open-label, cohort study.

Measurements: Changes in patient-reported urinary frequency, urgency incontinence, and stress incontinence were assessed using the condition-specific validated short form of the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI 6) before and 4 wk after BoNTA treatment.

Results and limitations: The patient-reported outcome of complete continence (defined as a score of 0 in both the urgency and stress incontinence subscales of the UDI 6) was 51% (38 of 74) 4 wk after intradetrusor injections of BoNTA. In patients who were not completely continent, median urgency incontinence scores reduced significantly from 100 to 0 (p<0.001), stress incontinence scores from 33 to 0 (p<0.001), and median urinary frequency scores from 100 to 33 (p<0.001), respectively. The inclusion of patients with mixed incontinence may have resulted in underestimation of the complete continence rate.

Conclusions: An excellent response with >50% of patients reporting complete continence 4 wk after BoNTA treatment reveals the efficacy of this emerging treatment for patients with refractory IDO incontinence. Furthermore, in those in whom complete continence was not achieved, there was a notable and significant reduction in reported urgency incontinence, stress incontinence, and urinary frequency.