Japanese researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (Li-ESWT) in 61 men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), including chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). They also examined whether pretreatment characteristics were associated with symptom severity after treatment. Participants underwent Li-ESWT once weekly for six consecutive weeks.

Following treatment, significant improvements were observed in several symptom scores, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), which decreased from 11.1 to 7.3; Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), from 3.8 to 2.8; Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index (BII), from 4.9 to 2.7; and National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), from 11.8 to 7.0. Additionally, post-micturition dribbling improved in about one-third of the…