Effects of Electrical Stimulation, Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise, and Biofeedback Program on Improving Pelvic Floor Function and Quality of Life in Postoperative Patients with Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

Lan Feng,¹ Qing Hao,^1, Shujuan Wang,² Ye Zhao,³ Haiyan Wu,⁴ Zhaojun Cui,¹ Jing Zhang,¹ Lin Wang,¹ Dan Zhang,¹ Xinxin Zhan¹ and Lei Wei⁵

¹Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College, Xingtai, Hebei, China
²Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College, Xingtai, Hebei, China
³Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College, Xingtai, Hebei, China
⁴Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pingliang Second People's Hospital, Pingliang, Gansu, China
⁵Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China

Pelvic floor muscle exercise (PME), biofeedback, and electrical stimulation improve pelvic floor function, but the effect of their combination in patients with early-stage cervical cancer is unclear. This study intended to design a combined intervention encompassing these three interventions and explore its effect on pelvic floor function in postoperative patients with early-stage cervical cancer. Totally, 177 postoperative patients with early-stage cervical cancer were assigned to combination (N = 81) and PME (N = 96) groups according to actual interventions. Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-Short Form 20 (PFDI-20), International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF), and EORTC Core Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) scores were assessed at the seventh day after surgery (W0), and at 4 (W4), 8 (W8), and 12 (W12) weeks after W0. PFDI-20 scores at W8 (P = 0.042) and W12 (P = 0.006), and ICIQ-UI-SF scores at W4 (P = 0.012), W8 (P = 0.024), and W12 (P = 0.003) were lower in the combination group versus PME group. PFDI-20 decline and ICIQ-UI-SF decline (W0-W12) were greater in the combination group versus PME group (both P = 0.007). Combined intervention (versus PME) was independently related to greater PFDI-20 decline (B = 5.548, P < 0.001) and ICIQ-UI-SF decline (W0-W12) (B = 1.544, P = 0.006). EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status scores at W12 were higher in the combination group versus PME group (P = 0.045), while EORTC QLQ-C30 function and symptom scores at any time points were not different between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Combined intervention achieves greater pelvic floor function improvement and better quality of life compared to PME in postoperative patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

Key words —— biofeedback; electrical stimulation; pelvic floor function; pelvic floor muscle exercise; postoperative cervical cancer

Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2024 September, 264(1), 21-29.

Correspondence: Qing Hao, Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College, No. 376 Shunde Road, Xingtai, Hebei 054000, China.

e-mail: haoqingfk@163.com