The role of interferential current electrical stimulation in pediatric urology: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Background: In recent years, interferential current (IFC) electrical stimulation has been studied as a novel treatment for various lower urinary tract dysfunctions in children. As the findings of multiple studies may vary, we aimed to evaluate the current view on IFC in pediatric urology problems based on the findings of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Methods: We performed a systematic search in the Embase, Medline, and SCOPUS databases in accordance with the latest Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Eligible studies comprised studies evaluating IFC for lower urinary tract problems in children. The studies’ quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tool 2. Results: A total of 125 articles were initially obtained, among which 40 articles were duplicates. There were six eligible RCTs with an overall low RoB. All subjects underwent 10–18 sessions of treatment. The outcomes measured consisted of the alleviation of symptoms and urodynamic parameters. The trials reported that 61–90% of patients responded positively to the treatment. Both IFC and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation generated improvements in the subjects. However, overall the IFC group showed better immediate and short-term improvement. Conclusion: IFC is a promising therapy for bladder dysfunction and enuresis in children. More comparative RCTs are required in the future to quantitatively determine the superiority of IFC to other alternatives. The safety aspects of the treatment should also be studied further before it can be used in a clinical setting as the standard and protocol for children are still unclear.