Cryotherapy alleviates symptoms in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: The first results

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is an intractable disease. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of cryotherapy in the therapy of CP/CPPS. One hundred and seventy-two patients with CP/CPPS were randomised to receive cryotherapy or sham cryotherapy. The follow-up assessments were done at weeks 4, 12 and 24 using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and National Institutes of Health-developed Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. The per-protocol analysis was performed. Eighty-two patients in the cryotherapy group and 76 patients in the sham group completed the treatment. The most obvious improvement (67%) of the VAS was observed in the cryotherapy group after 4 weeks, and although the improvement slightly weakened by 24 weeks (62.6%), a significant improvement from the treatment remained apparent. IPSS improved by 75% after 4 weeks and remained stable after 24 weeks. The response rates were 78.0%, 73.2% and 70.1% at weeks 4, 12 and 24 in the cryotherapy group, which were higher than 17.1%, 13.2% and 10.5% in the sham group (each p < .001). These results indicated that cryotherapy could alleviate voiding symptoms, ameliorate pain and improve the quality of life in people with CP/CPPS. It holds promise as a novel strategy to treat CP/CPPS.