Abstract
Background: This study set out to conduct a thorough review of the effects of electrical tibial nerve stimulation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with bowel dysfunction.
Methods: Several medical databases were searched comprehensively from inception to September 2023. Studies with available English full texts and results for bowel dysfunction following percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) or transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) were considered. The publications that were included underwent a comprehensive assessment by two independent reviewers, and pertinent data were retrieved. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using Cochrane guidelines.
Results: From a total of 200 studies, only 2 prospective interventional studies were eligible for entering this systematic review with no control arm. A total of 93 patients diagnosed with MS (44 females and 49 males) with a median age of 48.32 years were included. Both studies applied PTNS in 30-minute sessions for a maximum of 12 weeks and reported an overall improvement following PTNS in MS-associated bowel dysfunction.
Conclusion: This systematic review demonstrated that PTNS can be an effective way of minimizing fecal incontinence in MS patients. However, due to the highly limited number of available publications on this issue, we cannot generalize these findings to larger populations.