LONG-TERM FAILURE OF PELVIC FLOOR MUSCULATURE EXERCISES IN TREATMENT OF GENUINE STRESS-INCONTINENCE

This report evaluates the motivation of a group of patients to continu e a program of pelvic floor musculature exercises as conservative ther apy for genuine stress incontinence. Fourteen women with urodynamicall y documented genuine stress incontinence had subjective improvement; n ine of them showed objective improvement after 4 weeks of supervised p elvic floor musculature exercises. These patients were questioned 5 ye ars later as to continence status, performance of pelvic floor muscula ture exercises, and subsequent surgery for incontinence. Ten of 14 pat ients responded: four have had anti-incontinence surgery and remain co ntinent; five have not had surgery, do not perform pelvic floor muscul ature exercises, and continue to have stress incontinence. One patient continues to perform pelvic floor musculature exercises and has stres s incontinence with a full bladder. Thus, only one patient out of 10 r emained sufficiently motivated to perform pelvic floor musculature exe rcises after 5 years, even though all patients in this: series had imp rovement after a 4-week course of supervised exercises.