Abstract: We included in the analysis one small sham-controlled randomised trial of 173 women performed in the United States. Participants enrolled in this study had been diagnosed with stress UI and were randomly assigned to transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation (treatment) or a sham surgery using a non-functioning catheter (no treatment). Mean age of participants in the 12-month multi-centre trial was 50 years (range 22 to 76 years). Of three patient-important primary outcomes selected for this systematic review, the number of women reporting UI symptoms after intervention was not reported. No serious adverse events were reported for the transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation arm or the sham treatment arm during the 12-month trial. Owing to high risk of bias and imprecision, we downgraded the quality of evidence for this outcome to low. The effect of transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation on the number of women with an incontinence quality of life (I-QOL) score improvement ≥ 10 points at 12 months was as follows: RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.62; participants = 142, but the confidence interval was wide. For this outcome, the quality of evidence was also low as the result of high risk of bias and imprecision. We found no evidence on the number of women undergoing repeat continence surgery. The risk of other adverse events (pain/dysuria (RR 5.73, 95% CI 0.75 to 43.70; participants = 173); new detrusor overactivity (RR 1.36, 95% CI 0.63 to 2.93; participants = 173); and urinary tract infection (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.24 to 3.86; participants = 173) could not be established reliably as the trial was small. Evidence was insufficient for assessment of whether use of transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation was associated with an increased rate of urinary retention, haematuria and hesitancy compared with sham treatment in 173 participants. The GRADE quality of evidence for all other adverse events with available evidence was low as the result of high risk of bias and imprecision. We found no evidence to inform comparisons of transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation with conservative physical treatment, mechanical devices, drug treatment, injectable treatment for UI or other surgery for UI. It is not known whether transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation, as compared with sham treatment, improves patient-reported symptoms of UI. Evidence is insufficient to show whether the procedure improves disease-specific quality of life. Evidence is also insufficient to show whether the procedure causes serious adverse events or other adverse events in comparison with sham treatment, and no evidence was found for comparison with any other method of treatment for UI.

Plain-language summary: We searched for all randomised controlled trials that studied this form of treatment up to December 2014. We found only one trial of 173 women who were troubled by urinary leakage. On average, these women were 50 years of age. Through random assignment, two-thirds of them were treated with low-temperature heat via the urethra; the others did not receive this treatment. Researchers followed these women for 12 months. The makers of this treatment paid for the study. No information revealed whether more or fewer women complained of urinary leakage at 12 months, or whether there was a difference in the number of women having repeat surgery. The study did not show that quality of life was improved. Evidence was insufficient to show whether there was a difference in serious or minor side effects. Using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach, we found no evidence for the question of whether low-temperature heat via the urethra changed the number of women who leaked. We found low-quality evidence related to serious side effects, minor side effects and quality of life when compared with no treatment because data were limited and the study was poorly conducted. We found no evidence on whether this treatment changed the number of women who underwent another surgery. Because we did not find studies that compared this treatment with other treatments, we do not know whether this treatment results in better or worse outcomes.