Acupunct Electrother Res. 1990 ; 15(1): 19-25.

Bladder instability and enuresis treated by acupuncture and electro-therapeutics: early urodynamic observations.

Minni B, Capozza N, Creti G, De Gennaro M, Caione P, Bischko J.

Dept. of Pediatric Urology, Ospedale Bambino GesÃº, Vatican Hospital Rome, Italy.

The authors report the results of a study on 20 children suffering from a particular type of enuresis, associated with bladder instability, characterized by uninhibited contractions of the detrusor muscle. The children selected showed symptoms of enuresis, frequency, urinary urgency and a positive urodynamic test. This test was performed on 11 patients before and after acupuncture. In 16 out of 20 children, the authors observed a net increase in the intensity and frequency of uninhibited bladder contractions 30 minutes after acupuncture. At 60 minutes the contractions decreased and at 24 hours they had practically disappeared. Clinically, a gradual elimination of enuresis has been observed in 11 cases and an improvement in the other 7. From these early observations, the efficiency of acupuncture in suppressing uninhibited bladder contractions seems to be proved, even though the therapeutic mechanism has yet to be clarified.