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Outcomes of sacral neuromodulation for chronic pelvic pain: a Finnish national multicenter study

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Abstract

Background

The aim of this study was to report the outcomes of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) in chronic pelvic pain (CPP) patients in the Finnish national cohort.

Methods

This was a register-based retrospective study, involving all the centers that provide SNM treatment in Finland. The data of all patients treated with SNM for CPP were gathered from Oulu-, Turku-, Tampere- and Helsinki University Hospitals, as well as Jyväskylä and Seinäjoki Central Hospitals. All patients who had been tested for SNM implantation prior to April 2017 were included in the study.

Results

A total of 51 patients were selected for SNM treatment due to CPP from 2004 until 2017. The mean follow-up time was 13.8 months (SD 22.9 months). A total of 28 patients (57%) advanced from testing to permanent stimulator implantation. There were 21 patients (41%) who had a working modulator implanted at the end of follow-up. Patients with endometriosis-related pain had a significantly higher permanent implantation rate than the overall implantation rate (88% vs. 57%; p = 0.01). The endometriosis patients also had a higher overall success rate by the end of the follow-up (75% vs. 41%; p = 0.026)

Conclusions

SNM may be a viable treatment option for patients with CPP due to endometriosis. Further research on SNM treatment for endometriosis patients with refractory CPP is needed.

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Funding

No grants or funding have been received for this study.

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Correspondence to A. Zegrea.

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Conflict of interest

Adrian Zegrea has received financial support for attending symposia from Medtronic, Olympus, Johnson & Johnson. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was conducted in accordance with Finnish Medical Research Act 488/199, 295/2004 and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital District of Southwest Finland (ETMK:163/1801/2015).

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Formal consent was not required for this retrospective study.

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Zegrea, A., Kirss, J., Pinta, T. et al. Outcomes of sacral neuromodulation for chronic pelvic pain: a Finnish national multicenter study. Tech Coloproctol 24, 215–220 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10151-020-02148-2

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