Randomized trial of a comparison of rehabilitation or drug therapy for urgency urinary incontinence: 1-year follow-up

Introduction and hypothesis Our goal was to compare the long-term efficacy of bladder training (BT), pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), combined pelvic floor rehabilitation (CPFR), and drug therapy (DT) in patients with urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). Methods This multicenter single-blind randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of BT, PFMT, DT, and CPFR at baseline and 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Outcome measures included number of voids/24 h, number of UUI episodes, Quality of Life related to UUI (QOL-rUI), urogynecologic visual analog scale, and self-reported function and disability. Results A significant improvement was found for all treatment groups at 3 and 12 months in urinary frequency, UUI episodes, QOL-rUI, and number of daily pads. Only CPFR showed a significant decrease of 4 voids/24 h and a significant increase in self-reported function. Conclusions The study demonstrated long-term benefits of DT, BT, PFMT, and CPFR in the treatment of UUI with a slight advantage for CPFR.