FRIDAY, May 22, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Low-frequency contralesional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective and safe for poststroke neurogenic overactive bladder (OAB), according to a study published online April 29 in Neurorehabilitation & Neural Repair.
Mohammed Usman Ali, P.T., Ph.D., from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and colleagues examined the efficacy, cost utility, and stroke survivors' experiences of rTMS for neurogenic OAB in a randomized study involving 60 stroke survivors with neurogenic OAB. Participants received active rTMS (30 patients) or sham (30 patients) three times per week for four weeks at the contralesional primary motor cortex (M1). At baseline, week 4, and week 8, the OAB Symptom Score (OABSS), Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL), and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) were measured.
The researchers found that compared with sham, active rTMS significantly improved OABSS, I-QOL, and BRS at weeks 4 and 8 (mean difference, 1.81, 17.48, and 0.25 points, respectively). Lower societal costs were seen in association with active rTMS versus sham (HK$1,267.3 versus 1,839.0), and higher quality-adjusted life-years were observed (0.691 versus 0.571). Excellent tolerability, symptom relief, and acceptability were seen in qualitative data.
"These multidimensional findings support low-frequency contralesional M1 rTMS as a safe, acceptable, and potentially cost-saving treatment for poststroke neurogenic OAB," the authors write.
