Long-term effect of conservative treatment versus low threshold endoscopic desobstruction on urine incontinence and urgency in boys with persistent overactive bladder symptoms: A cohort study

Aims: To assess the long-term effects of two treatment strategies (low threshold endoscopic desobstruction vs. conservative treatment) on urinary incontinence (UI) and urgency-frequency in boys. Methods: Boys with persistent overactive bladder symptoms treated in two tertiary referral centers between 2006 and 2009 were included. Treatment strategy in center 1 was urethrocystoscopy (UCS) and in case of obstruction urethral desobstruction and in center 2 conservative. The primary outcome was time to being dry during daytime, secondary outcomes were being dry both day and night and presence of urgency-frequency, using the “provisional” International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaires Children's Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) questionnaire. Results: Median age at start of treatment was 8.0 (IQR 6.4-9.4) years in center 1 and 8.4 (IQR 6.0-10.1) years in center 2. At baseline daytime incontinence was present in 100/104 children (96%, center 1) and 37/44 (84%, center 2). In center 1, UCS was performed in 98 (93%) boys, with desobstruction in 93 (88%), while in center 2 these numbers were 16 (36%), and 5 (11%). There were no differences between groups after a mean follow-up of 5 years concerning dryness at daytime (HR 0.86, 0.56-1.30), dryness day and night (HR 0.72, 0.51-1.14), and presence of urgency-frequency (HR 0.67, 0.38-1.25). Conclusions: The benefit of a strategy including low-threshold UCS and endoscopic desobstruction in boys with urge incontinence and suspected infravesical obstruction to prevent LUTS and incontinence on the longer term could not be confirmed.