The role of the multi-disciplinary team and multi-disciplinary therapeutic protocol in the management of the chronic pelvic pain: There is strenght in numbers!

Introduction: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and multi-disciplinary approach in the treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP).

Methods: The data of all consecutive patients referred for a CPP from 11/2016 to 2/2019 has been prospectively collected. The sample was divided in two groups: Group A, made by patients managed after the institution of our MDT, and Group B, made of patients managed before this date. The MDT is composed by three urogynecologists, a psychologist and a physiotherapist. All Group A patients underwent a weekly bladder instillation with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), kinesiotherapy for trigger points and Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation for 10 consecutive weeks. Patients were asked to perform a self-treatment following the Stanford Protocol and to adhere to a specific diet. All Group B patients were managed only with DMSO instillations and a strict diet.

Results: The Group A was made of 41 females and 6 males while the Group B was made of 38 females and 5 males. The Group A patients showed a statistically significant improvement in the Pelvic Pain Urgency Frequency, in the frequency times reported at the 6 months voiding diary, and a better Patient Global Impression of Improvement.

Conclusions: Our data support the efficacy of the MDT in the management of CPP. The multimodal approach might represent an effective and reproducible non-invasive option to manage successfully CPP.