Vaginal Electrical Stimulation for Postpartum Neuromuscular Recovery (VESPR)

For too many women, childbirth results in devastating consequences: involuntary loss of feces or urine (fecal or urinary incontinence). In fact, up to 50 percent of women with severe tears during childbirth may develop these problems. These new mothers avoid leaving home in order to stay close to a toilet, wear protective pads every day, and avoid activities they previously enjoyed such as exercise and sexual intercourse. It is not surprising that many of these women suffer from postpartum depression, and bonding with their newborns is compromised.

Fecal and urinary incontinence occur due to injuries to the pelvic nerves and muscles during childbirth. Many researchers have focused on what can be done to prevent these injuries; however, few have investigated how to help the countless women who have already suffered from these injuries to the nerves and muscles. In other fields such as orthopedics and neurology, research shows that electrical stimulation can provoke nerve regeneration after injury. Applying this technology to women who have recently suffered from nerve injury during childbirth could have profound and life-changing effects. Investigators hypothesize that electrical stimulation immediately postpartum will markedly help pelvic nerves regenerate, minimizing rates of fecal and urinary incontinence for this vulnerable population of new mothers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury; Vaginal Electrical Stimulation
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: ApexM (Stimulation) Device; Device: Sham Device

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 66
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Northwestern Medical Group's Integrated Pelvic Health Program

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primiparous (First delivery)
• Women who sustain Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury (OASIS) during first vaginal delivery
• Between age of 18 - 50 years
• English speaking and reading

Exclusion Criteria:

• Implanted electrical device or cardiac arrhythmia
• Neurological disorder
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Chronic Steroid Use
• Wound breakdown and infection
• Anticipated geographic relocation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ApexM Device; The ApexM Device (InControl Medical) is a cylindrical inflatable instrument with electrodes on the dorsal and ventral sides. It is a battery operated, non-implanted device which will be inserted into the vagina and will stimulate the pelvic floor muscles. This device has been shown to be safe and effective for clinical use. Stimulation will alternate between 13 and 50Hz. The initial intensity will be set by the clinician at the patient's initial visit and will be increased in a standard fashion over the duration of the trial.	Device: ApexM (Stimulation) Device; Vaginal electrical stimulation will be administered via the Apex M Device. During each session, the patient will be supine, place conductive gel on the device, insert the device into the vagina, and inflate it to comfort. Subsequently, the device will be turned on and set to previously determined setting. Stimulation session will last 10 minutes and occur 6 times per week for a total of 12 weeks.
Sham Comparator: Sham Device; The ApexM Device will be identical in every way but the electrical stimulation will be disabled. The device will still turn on and inflate to fit the contours of the vagina.	Device: Sham Device; A sham Apex M device without electrical stimulation will be used. During each session, the patient will be supine, place conductive gel on the device, insert the device into the vagina, and inflate it to comfort. Subsequently, the device will be turned on and set to previously determined setting. Each session will last 10 minutes and occur 6 times per week for a total of 12 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anal Incontinence	The FISI is a validated instrument for assessing fecal incontinence symptom severity. The questionnaire contains 4 questions that assess the frequency of incontinence of solid stool, liquid stool, mucus and gas. FISI total scores range from 0-61 points and higher scores on the scale indicate greater severity of anal incontinence symptoms (worse symptoms). The following are ranges of the scores for each subscale, similarly higher scores on the scale indicate greater severity of subtype of anal incontinence (worse symptoms) Gas subscale- 0-12 points Mucus subscale: 0- 12 points Liquid stool subscale: 0-19 points Solid stool subscale: 0-18 points There are units for the scores on the scale. The Total FISI score is derived from the sum of all the scores on the subscales.	13 weeks postpartum

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Urinary Incontinence	Stress Urinary Incontinence will be compared between the electrical stimulation and sham group by comparing the proportion of women who answer "yes" to the question that corresponds to the presence of stress urinary incontinence (question 17) on the validated questionnaire (Urinary Distress Inventory - 6 (UDI-6).	1 week postpartum and 13 weeks postpartum
Number of Participants With Levator Ani Muscle Defects on Either Side of the Pelvis	Endovaginal ultrasound will be used to determine the relationship between levator ani muscle defects between the electrical stimulation and sham group. We defined levator ani defect as the separation (avulsion) of any of the levator muscles from one of their primary attachment sites on ultrasound. For levator ani defects, the presence or absence of levator ani avulsion (separation from the pubic bone) will be noted on each side. Number of patients with and without these avulsions defects will be compared between the two groups.	13 weeks postpartum
Number of Patients With Anal Sphincter Muscle Defects	For anal sphincter muscle defects, the number of patients with anal sphincter muscles (out of 360 degrees) will be reported. The proportion of patients with anal sphincter defects in each group will be compared between the two groups.	13 weeks postpartum
Maximum Squeeze Anal Pressure	Anal manometry will be used to obtain the maximum squeeze pressures and this will be compared between the electrical stimulation and sham group. Anorectal manometry was performed using a microtipped transducer anorectal manometry system with Laborie software and a 4-channel Gaeltec catheter (Laborie Medical Technologies Co., Williston, VT, and Unisensor, Inc, Hampton, NH). Maximum squeeze pressures at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5cm proximal to the anal verge were recorded in the semi recumbent position. Maximum squeeze pressure was defined as the highest pressure recorded above the baseline (zero) at any level of the anal canal during maximum squeeze effort by the patient	13 weeks postpartum

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Northwestern University
• Collaborators: Evergreen Invitational
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Christina Lewicky-Gaupp, M.D., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Rockwood TH, Church JM, Fleshman JW, Kane RL, Mavrantonis C, Thorson AG, Wexner SD, Bliss D, Lowry AC. Patient and surgeon ranking of the severity of symptoms associated with fecal incontinence: the fecal incontinence severity index. Dis Colon Rectum. 1999 Dec;42(12):1525-32. doi: 10.1007/BF02236199.
• Brown O, Heliker BD, Geynisman-Tan J, Tavathia M, Mueller MG, Collins S, Kenton K, Lewicky-Gaupp C. Vaginal Electrical Stimulation for Postpartum Neuromuscular Recovery: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2021 Nov 1;27(11):659-666. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001037.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 26, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 10, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 7, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): March 8, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 29, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 4, 2021
• Last Verified: June 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Postpartum; Apex M; Pelvic Floor rehabilitation
• Other Study ID Numbers: STU00201026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO