An interventional study of Neuromuscular electrical stimulation in Electric Stimulation Therapy, Bowel Dysfunction and Spinal Cord Injuries, sponsored by Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil. Completed at 1 site in Switzerland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-09.
Sponsored by Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
It has been reported that 62% of all people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) have experienced faecal incontinence and that neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) is a major sequela. As an alternative to abdominal massage or the use of suppositories, the electrical stimulation (ES) of the abdominal wall has been shown to be effective in decreasing the bowel transit time as well as decreasing constipation in children with slow-transit constipation. Due to the intrinsic nature of the guts' innervation, we expect to reproduce these positive effects in people with SCI through administration of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES).
A SCI entails devastating changes to a person's life. The extent of these changes depends on the level and degree of the lesion. NBD is one of the most important sequelae occurring in the majority of people with a SCI. It has been reported that 62% of people with SCI had experienced faecal incontinence . In fact, NBD is caused by a disruption of the autonomic nervous system leading to a disturbed colonic peristalsis. The enteric nervous system of the intestines is an intrinsic system that can function independently, but it is widely influenced by the autonomic nervous system. As such, its regulation is perturbed because the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous systems do modulate it but do not directly control the smooth muscle cells of the bowel . Depending on the level of the lesion, the bowel function can be affected in various ways ranging from constipation to overflow incontinence.
Hence, NBD has a major impact on the quality of life of paraplegics and tetraplegics. Not only is there a physical component to it consisting of constipation, haemorrhoids or abdominal distension but these gastrointestinal impairments also have a social aspect. People with SCI often end up avoiding social events and tend to isolate because of the fear of incontinence.
The immense expenditure of time for bowel evacuation is a consequence of the dyscoordination of faecal elimination. According to a survey study, 22% of all participants with SCI spend 31 to 60 minutes and 14% more than 60 minutes on bowel care per defecation. For example, people with an upper motor neuron lesion to their bowel are mainly confronted with faecal retention and constipation. Among the methods for bowel evacuation, the application of digital stimulation of the rectum and/or the insertion of a suppository are mostly used. Some people also use abdominal massage just before bowel evacuation . Only a few studies have investigated the effect of ES to the abdominal wall on the defaecation time in people with SCI and an upper motor neuron lesion but none investigated the defecation time in people with SCI with a lesion below the level of Th12. Nevertheless, the results of this therapeutic modality are very promising for different populations such as multiple sclerosis and children with slow-transit constipation by decreasing constipation and increasing transit times respectively.
By means of providing a more efficient and reliable method to support people with SCI in their bowel management strategy.A pilot study with a convenience sample of 20 out- and inpatients of the Swiss Paraplegic Centre will be conducted. Patients who have found a good bowel management method for themselves but claim to invest too much time in this routine are eligible for the study. During their participation, they should follow their usual routine after applying ES for 30 minutes before defaecation.
Based on the recent findings and clinical experience, it is hypothesized that NMES has the potential to reduce defaecation times as well as the bowel transit time in people with SCI experiencing NBD.
963 studies on the registry are indexed under Intestinal Diseases; 174 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 20 is below the median of 70 across 552 interventional studies indexed under Intestinal Diseases.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will receive neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the abdominal wall before defaecation for 30 minutes over the course of 16 weeks.
Other: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
The stimulation will be conducted at home or at the SPC for half an hour about 30 minutes before the usual bowel emptying time. Four adhesive electrodes are attached to the abdominal wall for the neuromuscular electrical stimulation. The abdominal muscles are stimulated in such a way that activation occurs, i.e. the muscle alternately contracts and relaxes again. The stimulation sessions will be documented with a defined protocol. In addition, the stool consistency is rated according to the Bristol Stool Form Scale.
Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score (NBDS) and the defaecation time from the stimulation protocol
Investigation of the effect of NMES on the change in defaecation time (minutes) and its relation to the change in NBDS between the follow-up visits and baseline
Time frame: 24 weeks
Corn Test
"Corn Test" assessing bowel transit time
Time frame: 24 weeks; 5 time points
Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS)
BSFS for stool consistency
Time frame: 24 weeks; at each defaecation
Qualiveen Short Form (SF)
Qualiveen SF to assess bladder function
Time frame: 24 weeks; 5 times
International Standards to document remaining Autonomic Function after Spinal Cord Injury (ISAFSCI)
International Standards to document remaining Autonomic Function after Spinal Cord Injury (ISAFSCI)
Time frame: 24 weeks; 5 times
Questionnaire of treatment effectiveness
Questionnaire of treatment effectiveness containing 3 questions about the application of the stimulation
Time frame: 24 weeks; 2 times
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil