Magnetic stimulation for stress urinary incontinence: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: There is currently a lack of randomized, sham-controlled trials that are adequately powered, using validated outcomes, to allow for firm recommendations on the use of magnetic stimulation for stress urinary incontinence. We report a protocol of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled parallel-group trial to evaluate the efficacy of magnetic stimulation for stress urinary incontinence. METHODS/DESIGN: One hundred twenty subjects with stress urinary incontinence will be randomized in a 1:1 allocation to either active or sham magnetic stimulation using computer-generated, permuted blocks of variable sizes. Subjects will receive 2 sessions of magnetic stimulation per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions total). The primary outcome is the improvement in severity of involuntary urine loss based on the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Short Form at the end of treatment sessions compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes include cure, stress urinary incontinence–related symptoms (incontinence episode frequency, urine loss in 1-hour pad test, pelvic floor muscle strength) and health-related quality of life (Patient Global Impression of Improvement, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life and EQ-5D). The safety of magnetic stimulation will also be assessed. Besides evaluation of clinical treatment effectiveness, cost-effectiveness analysis using patient-reported outcomes will be performed. DISCUSSION: This trial is designed to provide pending outcome information on this non-invasive treatment option. We intend to acknowledge the existing flaws in previous clinical trials and determine conclusively whether magnetic stimulation is effective for stress urinary incontinence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01924728. Date of Registration: 14 August 2013. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0803-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.