Acupuncture improves bladder dysfunction after radical hysterectomy

Acupuncture prevented postoperative bladder dysfunction, one of the most common complications, after radical hysterectomy, according to a study published in journal Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine.

Radical hysterectomy is a surgical treatment for cervical cancer after the failure of chemotherahttppy or radiotherapy treatment. The procedures of radical hysterectomy are associated with many complications, among them bladder dysfunction is one of the most common complications and up to 85% of patients after radical hysterectomy are reported to have long-term postoperative urinary tract dysfunction.

Researchers in Guangzhou, China investigated the preventive effects of acupuncture for complications following radical hysterectomy. One hundred and twenty patients after radical hysterectomy were randomly divided into two groups, one group was treated with acupuncture and another group was used as control. Acupuncture treatment started from the 6^th postoperative days for 5 consecutive days. Patients in acupuncture group showed a significant improvement in bladder function in terms of maximal cystometric capacity, first voiding desire, maximal flow rate, bladder compliance and decreased bladder sensory loss and incontinence one month after operation compared with control group.  Urinary tract infection was also significantly reduced with acupuncture compared with control group.

The report showed that early acupuncture treatment after radical hysterectomy prevented bladder dysfunction and reduced urinary tract infection.

Reference:

Yi W et al., Acupuncture for Preventing Complications after Radical Hysterectomy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 802134, 6 pages.   http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/802134/