Chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Neurostimulation, neuromodulation and acupuncture

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is defined by the European Association of Urology guidelines as a non-malignant pain perceived in structures related to the pelvis of either women or men for at least 6 months without proven infection or other obvious pathology. It affects the quality of life of millions of people worldwide and has an impact similar to that reported for other chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, Crohn's disease and congestive heart failure. The treatment of CPPS remains a challenge despite several established first line therapies because many patients are therapy refractory. Unconventional treatments, such as neurostimulation, neuromodulation and acupuncture may be highly successful for treating CPPS and have a favorable adverse event profile. Thus, these promising therapeutic alternatives should be considered more often in daily clinical practice.