Applications of neurostimulation in urology

Abstract

Abstract Electrical stimulation of nerves and muscle is a time honored approach to the treatment of urinary incontinence. The use of implantable neuroprosthetics in the field of urology remains a new frontier. This report presents a summary of seven years experience with neuroprosthetic devices in the treatment of symptomatic voiding dysfunction. The techniques devised to study and evaluate patients for treatment via neurostimulation are described. The majority of patients were not paraplegic and were significantly incapacitated by dysfunctional voiding patterns. The rationale in using neurostimulation were two: (1) most voiding dysfunctions result from, or are associated with hyperactive striated muscle behavior; (2) neurostimulation has an intrinsic inhibitory effect on this spastic behavior of striated muscle. Very favorable results were obtained. Neurostimulation would appear to be a valuable asset to the urologist from both an investigational as well as a therapeutic viewpoint.