Chronic pelvic pain syndrome in women. Review and preliminary results with low-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy

Introduction: Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) is a highly prevalent and very debilitating clinical condition, with a significant impact on the social, working and family activities, negatively affecting the quality of life. Currently there is not yet an satisfying treatment. Several therapeutic options have been proposed and experimented with some results, but in certain patients they are all ineffective. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) could be a new secure and promising approach for this condition. Aim of the study: To describe our experience about the effects of three cases of female CPPS. Materials and Methods: Three women suffering from CPPS underwent four weekly sessions ESWT (3000 SW, 3 Hz, 0,25 mJ/mm2) with the aim to reduce their pain. Basal and 2 follow-up assessments were conducted using NRS pain score and recording the consumption of medications. Results: In one case we observed a partial improvement on pain, in the second one no benefit and in the last one an almost complete disappearance of the pain. No adverse events were registered. Discussion and Conclusions: Although our result are discordant, Low-energy ESWT could represent a new promising treatment for CPPS as it is simple, non-invasive, painless, well tolerated, apparently secure, but more studies are needed to discover the mechanisms through which ESWT acts on the pain and to define the optimal parameters and the better approach to use in clinical practice.