Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) may hold promise as a treatment for chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), researchers reported in BJU International (2008; online ahead of print).
Reinhold Zimmermann, MD, of the Public Hospital in Kufstein, Austria, and colleagues investigated this approach in two studies involving a total of 34 men with CPPS (prostatitis IIIb) of least three months’ duration and no evidence of prostate cancer or bacteria in urinary and seminal culture tests. On an outpatient basis, subjects underwent perineal ESWT directed at the prostate.
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The researchers observed significant improvements in pain and quality of life. Treatments were well tolerated and no anesthesia was required, the investigators noted.
“ESWT could be of significant importance in the treatment of CPPS due to its straightforward applicability with practically no side effects,” the authors concluded.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study to valid the treatment is underway.
