Electrostimulation as adjuvant for pelvic physiotherapy on urinary incontinence after prostatectomy: integrative review

Abstract

Introduction: The main form of treatment for prostate cancer is radical prostatectomy, which, despite the most modern techniques, still has consequences such as urinary incontinence (UI), for which physiotherapy emerges as a solution, and where electrostimulation has its role. space, provided it is used rationally. Objective: To verify the effects of electrostimulation in the treatment of UI after prostatectomy. Methods: This is an integrative review of studies published in Portuguese, based on searches in the Scielo (Scientific Electronic Library Online), PubMed (Medline), Lilacs (Medline) and PEDro databases. We included studies in which electrostimulation was applied in men with UI after radical prostatectomy, published between 2006 and 2016, in Portuguese, Spanish and English. Studies containing guinea pigs and reviews were excluded. The study selection process involved screening the titles and reading the abstracts, after which the potentially relevant articles were obtained in the full text for a more in-depth analysis of the eligibility criteria. Results: Only five articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria; all presented the use of electrostimulation in the treatment of UI; none described the technique as a proprioceptive adjunct to the first stages of treatment. Conclusion: Functional electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor has beneficial effects in the treatment of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy when associated with the training of the pelvic floor muscles, considered standard. Aids in the proprioception and learning of the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, and treat detrusor instability.