Effectiveness of systemic acupuncture in the control of urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy: a randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture associated with pelvic floor muscle training for the control of urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy. METHOD: Open-label, parallel randomized clinical trial. The intervention group (n = 33) underwent eight sessions of systemic acupuncture associated with pelvic floor muscle training and the control group (n = 31) performed only pelvic floor muscle training. The outcome variable was urinary incontinence assessed by the Pad Test and Daily Pad Used, before treatment (T0), after four weeks (T1) and after eight weeks of treatment (T2). Data analysis was performed using a longitudinal model of Generalized Estimating Equations, significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: The control group showed greater urinary loss compared to the intervention group at T1 (p = 0.006) and at T2 (p < 0.001). Both groups showed improvement in the level of urinary incontinence over time, but the improvement was greater in the intervention group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture associated with pelvic floor muscle training was effective in reducing urinary incontinence in prostatectomized men.Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials:RBR-3jm5y2.