Table 2 Characteristics of eligible studies
Authors, year | Design | Sample size (E/C) | Preoperative PFMT method | Time started PFMT before surgery | Definition of continence | Outcomes | Data (E vs. C) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 month | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months | |||||||
Bales et al., 2000[20] | RCT | 100 (47/50) | PFMT with biofeedback four times per day | 2–4 weeks | Defined as the use of one or more pads per day | Urinary continence (assessed by a single nurse) | 9 vs.12 | 27 vs. 31 | 44 vs. 48 | (6-month F/U) |
Centemero et al., 2010[16] | RCT | 118 (59/59) | PG-PFMT by a single physiotherapist | 30 days | Defined as the sum of no urinary leakage | Self-reported continence | 26 vs. 12 | 35 vs. 22 | (3-month F/U) | |
QoL score (ICS male SF) | Difference is significant at both 1- and 3-month time points, suggesting preoperative PFMT may improve QoL | |||||||||
Dijkstra-Eshuis et al., 2013[18] | RCT | 121 (65/56) | PFMT with biofeedback once a week for 30 min | 4 weeks | Defined as no leakage at all | Continence (24-h pad test) | Only 12-month- time-point data were available for extraction | 38/58 vs. 36/45 | ||
QoL (measured by KHQ and IPSS) | No significant difference at each time point | |||||||||
Geraerts et al., 2013[17] | RCT | 180 (91/89) | PG-PFMT 30 min per week | 3 weeks | Defined as 3 consecutive days of 0 g of urine loss on a 24-h pad test | Incidence of continence | 44/86 vs. 44/87 | 67/86 vs.71/87 | 80/86 vs. 80/85 | 83/85 vs. 81/85 |
Time to continence (24-h pad test) | Median times to continence were 30 and 31 days for the C and E groups, respectively (P = 0.878) | |||||||||
QoL (measured by KHQ) | No difference at any time point, except in one aspect of the KHQ at 3 and 6 months (P = 0.008 and P = 0.024, respectively) | |||||||||
Patel et al., 2013[21] | Quasi-RCT | 284 (152/132) | PG-PFMT | 4 weeks | Use of zero to one pad | Continence percent (24-h pad weight) | 6 weeks 25% (38) vs. 17% (23) | 73% (112) vs. 62% (82) | (3-month F/U) | |
Time to achieve continence | Preoperative PG-PFMT is effective in reducing time to continence | |||||||||