The role of myofunctional therapy in the treatment of enuretic children with sleep-disordered breathing

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate if an effective and noninvasive treatment of sleep-disordered breathing may decrease the frequency of nocturnal enuresis in children presenting both the aforesaid clinical conditions. METHODS: The study was carried out within our pediatric outpatient clinic in Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital of Rome, enrolling a total of 90 children, aged between 5 and 15 years, presenting nocturnal enuresis and sleep-disordered breathing. After clinical evaluation, children were randomized in two different treatment groups: group 1, desmopressin with or without oxybutynin, dietary and lifestyle recommendations and myofunctional therapy; group 2, desmopressin with or without oxybutynin, and dietary and lifestyle recommendations. All patients were treated for 3 months. RESULTS: After 3 months of therapy and 3 months of follow-up, the response rate distribution was 85.7% for the group 1 and 56.2% for the group 2. The results were statistically significant (P<0.05). This study was conducted in accordance with the regulatory standards of Good Clinical Practice and the Declaration of Helsinki. CONCLUSIONS: A higher response rate was achieved by the group treated with the combination of pharmacological and myofunctional therapy.