with refractory irritative voiding dysfunction. Following an initial respon
se, patients may successfully apply this treatment themselves to ensure lon
g-term relief. Objective: Patients with irritative voiding dysfunction are
often unresponsive to standard clinical treatment. We evaluated the respons
e of such individuals to transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the third
sacral nerve. Methods: 32 patients with refractory irritative voiding dysf
unction (31 female and 1 male; mean age 47 years) were recruited to the stu
dy. Ambulatory transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation was applied bilat
erally to the third sacral dermatomes for 1 week. Symptoms of frequency, no
cturia, urgency, and bladder pain were scored by each patient throughout an
d up to 6 months following treatment. Results: The mean daytime frequency w
as reduced from 11.3 to 7.96 (p = 0.01). Nocturia episodes were reduced fro
m a mean of 2.6 to 1.8 (p = 0.01). Urgency and bladder pain mean symptom sc
ores were reduced from 5.97 to 4.89 and from 1.48 to 0.64, respectively. Af
ter stopping therapy, symptoms returned to pretreatment levels within 2 wee
ks in 40% of the patients and within 6 months in 100%, Three patients who c
ontinued with neurostimulation remained satisfied with this treatment modal
ity at 6 months. Conclusions: Transcutaneous third sacral nerve stimulation
may be an effective and noninvasive ambulatory technique for the treatment
of patients with refractory irritative voiding dysfunction. Following an i
nitial response, patients may successfully apply this treatment themselves
to ensure long-term relief.