Shifting the treatment paradigm in idiopathic overactive bladder

What is the best first choice oral drug therapy for OAB?

AIMS

The management of overactive bladder (OAB) involves lifestyle changes and conservative measures in the first instance with the use of liquid/dietary advice, weight loss, and bladder training. Thereafter oral pharmacotherapy is instigated in symptomatic patients. Antimuscarinics and beta 3 agonists form the main classes of drug therapy in this field. Views on what is the best first line OAB treatment is changing based on recent evidence and adverse event profiles of these medications.

METHODS

At the ICI-RS meeting 2023, Bristol, UK this topic was discussed and debated as a proposal. The following article summarizes the concepts presented that day as well as the interactive discussion that took place thereafter.

RESULTS

OAB guidelines are moving in many circumstances to an either antimuscarinic or beta 3 agonist approach based on patient factors. Several studies have raised concerns on the long-term impact of antimuscarinics, in relation to cognition, dementia, cardiovascular events, and mortality all related to antimuscarinic load. Neither antimuscarinics nor beta 3 agonists have good persistence and adherence rates in the medium to long term. Several barriers also exist to prescribing including guidelines recommending utilizing drugs with the lowest acquisition cost and "step therapy." A newer approach to managing OAB is personalized therapy in view of the many possible etiological factors and phenotypes. These concepts are highlighted in this article.

CONCLUSIONS

Current oral pharmacotherapy in managing OAB is limited by adverse events, adherence and persistence problems. Both antimuscarinics and beta 3 agonists are efficacious but most clinical trials demonstrate significant placebo effects in this field. Personalizing treatment to the individual seems a logical approach to OAB. There is a need for better treatments and further studies are required of existing treatments with high quality longer term outcomes.

Efficacy and safety of tibial nerve stimulation using a wearable device for overactive bladder

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a wearable, smartphone-controlled, rechargeable transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) device in patients with overactive bladder (OAB).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This multicentre, prospective, single-blind, randomised clinical trial included eligible patients with OAB symptoms who were randomly assigned to the stimulation group or sham group. The primary efficacy outcome was change from baseline in voiding frequency/24 h after 4 weeks of treatment. The secondary efficacy outcomes included changes in bladder diary outcomes (urgency score/void, nocturia episodes/day, micturition volume/void, and incontinence episodes/day), questionnaires on Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC), and American Urological Association Symptom Index Quality of Life Score (AUA-SI-QoL) at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. Device-related adverse events (AEs) were also evaluated.

RESULTS

In the full analysis set (FAS), the mean (sd) change of voiding frequency/24 h in the stimulation group and sham group at 4 weeks were -3.5 (2.9) and -0.6 (2.4), respectively (P < 0.01). Similar results were obtained in the per-protocol set (PPS): -3.5 (2.9) vs -0.4 (2.3) (P < 0.01). In the FAS and PPS, micturition volume/void significantly improved at 4 weeks (P = 0.01 and P = 0.02). PPBC improvement almost reached significance in the FAS (P = 0.05), while it was significant in the PPS (P = 0.02). In the FAS and PPS, AUA-SI-QoL significantly improved at 4 weeks in the two groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01), whereas there were no significant differences in urgency score/void, nocturia episodes/day or OABSS between the groups. Also, no device-related serious AEs were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The non-invasive neuromodulation technique using the novel ambulatory TTNS device is effective and safe for treating OAB. Its convenience and easy maintenance make it a new potential home-based treatment modality. Future studies are warranted to confirm its longer-term efficacy.

Delivering patient-centered care through shared decision making in overactive bladder

INTRODUCTION

Men and women living with overactive bladder (OAB) face many treatment decisions as they progress through the treatment pathway. Decisions to pursue specific therapies are highly preference sensitive and ideal for shared decision making (SDM). The aim of this narrative review is to provide urologists with a practical summary of methods to elicit preferences and facilitate SDM to promote patient-centered care for OAB.

METHODS

We explore OAB as a preference sensitive condition through a review of treatment outcomes and present available data on prediction tools, patient preferences, and decision aids. We propose a paradigm for applying Everyday SDM to OAB care.

RESULTS

Clinical outcome data points to equipoise (balanced outcomes) between options for first-, second-, and third-line OAB therapies, making OAB preference sensitive and appropriate for SDM. Methods to personalize care through individualized outcome prediction calculators and tools to elicit patient preferences are emerging. While patient information about OAB is readily available, we identified few OAB decision aids that facilitate patient preference elicitation and SDM.

CONCLUSIONS

OAB is a preference sensitive condition, where treatment is largely based on the patient's preferences and values. SDM is an ideal approach to supporting patients through these treatment decisions. We propose the application of Everyday SDM, a personalized, clinically efficient methodology as a method to support patient-centered OAB care.

Peroneal Electric Transcutaneous NeuroModulation (eTNM®): A Novel Method for the Treatment of the Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) is a prevalent medical problem with a significant impact on the quality of life of the affected individuals. Pharmacotherapy is considered the main treatment method, although it is discontinued in a significant proportion of patients due to inefficacy or associated side effects. If pharmacotherapy fails, patients can undergo peripheral neuromodulation of the somatic nerves of the lower limb or sacral neuromodulation; however, neither of these represents an ideal therapeutic tool. The Peroneal electric Transcutaneous NeuroModulation (Peroneal eTNM^®), based on the selective stimulation of the peroneal nerve, is the new fully noninvasive neuromodulation method intended to treat OAB. The URIS^® neuromodulation system, engineered to provide Peroneal eTNM^®, consists of the URIS^® device, URIS^® active electrodes, and the biofeedback foot sensor (BFS). The unique design of the URIS^® device and URIS^® active electrodes allows for the use of a low voltage and current during neuromodulation, which significantly reduces the unpleasant sensations. The BFS allows for precise localization of the active electrodes and for continuous adjustment of the voltage and frequency to achieve the optimal therapeutic effect. The URIS^® system adopts several principles of telemedicine, which makes it compatible with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) regulations for home-based use. This article describes both the Peroneal eTNM^® method and the URIS^® neuromodulation system, including its technical specifications and data from laboratory testing. Preclinical and early clinical data demonstrate the feasibility of this new method for noninvasive OAB treatment and possible implications for clinical practice.