Neuromodulation for Accidental Bowel Leakage

NCT ID: NCT03278613

Last Updated: 2025-06-03

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

166 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-02-09

Study Completion Date

2020-03-09

Brief Summary

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This study is a multi-center, randomized clinical trial of women with refractory accidental bowel leakage (ABL) symptoms who have failed to achieve satisfactory symptom control from 2 first-line treatments for ABL: supervised pelvic muscle training (PMT) and constipating medication. The purpose of this study is to compare percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) to a validated sham to determine if PTNS is effective for the treatment of fecal incontinence (FI) in women.

The investigators will test the null hypothesis that change from baseline in St. Mark's (Vaizey) score after 12 weeks of stimulation is not significantly different in women with symptomatic ABL receiving PTNS treatments compared to women receiving sham PTNS treatments.

Detailed Description

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The overarching goal of this randomized clinical trial is to determine if PTNS is more effective than sham PTNS for the treatment of FI in women after 12 weeks of treatment and 1 year after initiating treatment. This is a two-part trial with a Run-In Phase prior to randomization. The trial has the following primary aim:

To determine whether the change from baseline in St. Mark's (Vaizey) score in women with symptomatic ABL undergoing PTNS differs from sham after 12 weeks of stimulation.

Additional secondary aims include:

1. To compare changes from baseline in self-reported functional outcomes after 12 weekly stimulation sessions in both PTNS and sham groups in Part 1.
2. To determine whether symptom relief amongst study "responders" can be sustained for one year with maintenance treatments in Part II.
3. To determine the impact of completing a bowel diary and receiving education on FI on symptom severity.
4. To determine the ability of the PFDN ABL phone app bowel diary to detect changes from baseline in fecal incontinence episodes recorded to after 12 weeks of stimulation sessions.
5. To determine the association between St. Mark's score and both fat and fiber intake alone and in combination.

Conditions

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Fecal Incontinence Bowel Incontinence

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants
Participants will remain masked to subject treatment assignment throughout the trial. To maintain masking of participants, the duration of treatment sessions for both the PTNS and sham groups will be 30 minutes and will be conducted with subjects in a supine position with the knees comfortably abducted and flexed. The leg and foot involved in treatment will be obscured from the subject's view with a portable anesthesia drape frame to which an exam sheet will be secured.

Study Groups

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Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (PTNS)

PTNS treatment entails insertion of a 36 gauge needle electrode at a 60 degree angle 3-4 cm deep towards the tibial nerve, approximately 5 cm or 3 finger breadths cephalad to the medial malleolus and posterior to the tibia. The PTNS grounding electrode, placed near the calcaneus and the needle electrode will be connected to the ES-130 device pulse generator.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

ES-130

Intervention Type DEVICE

The ES-130 device will be used for the indication of "Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation for the treatment of fecal incontinence" using the FDA-approved protocol for treatment of urge urinary incontinence (UUI) in the PFDN NOTABLe study. There is no PTNS device cleared by the FDA for the indication of FI treatment; therefore, this is considered an investigational device.

Validated Sham

Sham treatment will use the Streitberger acupuncture placebo needle in the same location as the needle electrode for PTNS. The sham uses an active gel surface electrode pad placed on the bottom of the foot just below the fifth (smallest) toe. This location is not part of the acupuncture nerve pathway connected to the bladder, pelvis or any major organs. Electrical current is delivered to this pad via a TENS unit resulting in sensory stimulation.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

ES-130

Intervention Type DEVICE

The ES-130 device will be used for the indication of "Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation for the treatment of fecal incontinence" using the FDA-approved protocol for treatment of urge urinary incontinence (UUI) in the PFDN NOTABLe study. There is no PTNS device cleared by the FDA for the indication of FI treatment; therefore, this is considered an investigational device.

Interventions

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ES-130

The ES-130 device will be used for the indication of "Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation for the treatment of fecal incontinence" using the FDA-approved protocol for treatment of urge urinary incontinence (UUI) in the PFDN NOTABLe study. There is no PTNS device cleared by the FDA for the indication of FI treatment; therefore, this is considered an investigational device.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Women ≥ 18 years of age
* FI symptoms ≥ 3 months
* Baseline St. Mark's score of ≥ 12
* Attended ≥ 2 supervised PMT for ABL
* Intolerance, unwillingness, or inadequate response to constipating medications
* Current negative colon cancer screening based on the USPSTF's recommendation for colorectal cancer screening (2016)

Exclusion Criteria

* Previous PTNS treatment
* History of uncontrolled diarrhea in the past 3 months (usual or most common stool type over the preceding 3 months of 7 on the Bristol Stool Form Scale)
* History of severe constipation in the past 3 months (usual or most common stool type over the preceding 3 months of 1 on the Bristol Stool Form Scale)
* History of inflammatory bowel disease (includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, but does not include irritable bowel disease)
* Unrepaired rectovaginal fistula/chronic 4th degree laceration
* Full thickness rectal prolapse
* History of congenital anorectal malformation
* History of bowel resection surgery for any indication
* Minor anal procedures within 6 months for treatment of ABL (injection of bulking agent or radiofrequency energy) or ligation of hemorrhoids
* Prior pelvic or abdominal radiation
* Diagnosis of cancer of the descending colon or anus
* Diagnosis of cancer in the region where the PTNS or sham needles or surface electrodes would be placed
* Pacemaker, implantable defibrillator
* Current use of Interstim sacral nerve stimulator or TENS in the pelvic region, back, or legs
* Clinically significant neurological disorders known to affect anal continence
* Coagulopathy
* Severe peripheral edema preventing accurate placement of PTNS needles
* Chronic swollen, infected, inflamed skin or skin eruptions (e.g., phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, varicose veins) in the region where the PTNS or sham needles or surface electrodes would be placed
* Metal implant in foot/toes near TENS electrode location
* Marked sensory deficit (numbness) of feet or ankles in the region where the PTNS or sham needles or surface electrodes would be placed
* Childbirth within the last 3 months
* Pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study duration 1 year; a urine pregnancy test will be performed and must be negative by the first intervention visit if the participant is of childbearing potential
* Unwilling to use acceptable form of contraceptive if the participant is of childbearing potential
* Participation in another intervention trial impacting bowel function
* Inability to provide informed consent, complete questionnaires independently, or to attend intervention sessions
* Unable or unwilling to complete the bowel diary in Run-In Phase (valid diary defined as data from ≥ 10 of 14 days with minimum of 3 consecutive days per week)
* Unwilling to download bowel diary app onto smartphone if the participant owns a smartphone
* Visual impairment prohibiting reading the paper diary, the smart phone screen
* Unable to speak, read, or write in English or Spanish at a basic level
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Alabama at Birmingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of California, San Diego

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Duke University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

RTI International

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Pennsylvania

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Pittsburgh

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Kaiser Permanente

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network

NETWORK

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Halina M Zyczynski, MD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Magee-Women's Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Locations

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University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Site Status

Kaiser Permanente -- Downey

Downey, California, United States

Site Status

University of California at San Diego, UCSD Women's Pelvic Medicine Center

La Jolla, California, United States

Site Status

Kaiser Permanente -- San Diego

San Diego, California, United States

Site Status

Duke University, Duke Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Site Status

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

Magee-Women's Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

Brown/ Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Center for Women's Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Site Status

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas, Texas, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Zyczynski HM, Richter HE, Sung VW, Lukacz ES, Arya LA, Rahn DD, Visco AG, Mazloomdoost D, Carper B, Gantz MG; NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation vs Sham Stimulation for Fecal Incontinence in Women: NeurOmodulaTion for Accidental Bowel Leakage Randomized Clinical Trial. Am J Gastroenterol. 2022 Apr 1;117(4):654-667. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000001605.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35354778 (View on PubMed)

Zyczynski HM, Arya LA, Lukacz ES, Richter HE, Rahn DD, Sung VW, Visco AG, Shaffer A, Jelovsek JE, Rogers R, Mazloomdoost D, Gantz MG; Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network (PFDN). Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Percutaneous Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Refractory Fecal Incontinence in Women: The NeurOmodulaTion for Accidental Bowel Leakage Study. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2021 Dec 1;27(12):726-734. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001050.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 33950027 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

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2U24HD069031-06

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

2UG1HD069013-06

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

5UG1HD041267-18

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

5UG1HD069010-07

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

5UG1HD069006-07

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

5UG1HD041261-17

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

5UG1HD054214-12

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

5UG1HD054241-12

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

12865-29

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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