The efficacy of electrical stimulation in treating children with nocturnal enuresis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of electrical stimulation (ES) in treating children with nocturnal enuresis (NE). METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the use of ES for the treatment of NE in children were searched using EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. The references of related articles were also searched. The systematic review was carried out using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. RESULTS: Four RCTs involving 171 patients were studied. We found that there was statistically significant difference in the wet nights per week (mean difference [MD], -0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.89 to -0.51; P < .00001), the number of patients with clinical response (MD, 26.88; 95% CI, 11.16 to 64.74; P < .00001), and bladder capacity (MD, -0.70; 95% CI -0.89 to -0.51; P < .00001) in the ES group compared with the placebo group with the exception of maximum voided volume (MVV) (MD, 19.48; 95% CI, -9.18 to 48.14; P = .18). CONCLUSIONS: The study provides a significant improvement in statistics in the wet nights per week, the number of patients with clinical response and bladder capacity for children with NE compared with the placebo group with the exception of MVV.