Quality of life changes in patients with neurogenic versus idiopathic detrusor overactivity after intradetrusor injections of botulinum neurotoxin type A and correlations with lower urinary tract symptoms and urodynamic changes.

OBJECTIVE: Little published data exist on the effect of intradetrusor botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) on the quality of life (QOL) of patients with overactive bladder. We examined post-BoNT/A QOL changes of patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) in comparison to those with idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO), and their correlations with respective changes in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and urodynamic parameters.

METHODS: Patients with urodynamically proven intractable DO were assessed for changes in QOL 4 and 16 wk after treatment with intradetrusor BOTOX injections (NDO 300U; IDO 200U) using the short forms of the Urinary Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7). Percent changes in total QOL score were correlated to respective changes in clinical parameters recorded by bladder diaries and voiding cystometry.

RESULTS: Forty-eight treated patients (32 NDO, 16 IDO) had QOL data in at least one follow-up. Highly significant decreases (p < 0.0001) in mean +/- standard error QOL score at 4 wk were maintained at 16 wk for both the NDO and IDO subgroups. Percent improvement in QOL score was similar for NDO versus IDO at 4 (67.6 +/- 4.5 versus 70.3 +/- 7.7, p = 0.74) and 16 wk (65.2 +/- 5.5 versus 71.9 +/- 8.8, p = 0.51). Percent changes in QOL score of the whole patient group correlated with changes in 24-h micturition frequency, number of voids associated with urgency, and number of urge incontinence episodes, but not with urodynamic parameters.

CONCLUSIONS: Intradetrusor BoNT/A produces comparable, significant improvements in the QOL of patients with either NDO or IDO at least up to 16 wk after treatment. In contrast to urodynamic parameters, changes in LUTS appear to be the major determinants of improvements in the patients' QOL.