Sacral nerve stimulation for the overactive bladder.

Abstract

Pharmacotherapy is the first-line treatment for overactive bladder, but many patients discontinue drug therapy because of intolerable side effects, expense, or lack of longterm adherence. Alternative treatments are needed for patients who are unable to tolerate pharmacotherapy or who do not derive the desired benefits. Sacral nerve stimulation therapy has evolved into one of the most widely accepted treatment modalities in the arena of neurourology. Sacral nerve stimulation activates or "resets" the somatic afferent inputs that play a pivotal role in the modulation of sensory processing for micturition reflex pathways in the spinal cord. This minimally invasive technology offers a safe, reliable, and durable treatment for lower urinary tract dysfunction.

• Authors: Wendy W Leng, Shelby N Morrisroe
• Journal: The Urologic clinics of North America (Urol Clin North Am) Vol. 33 Issue 4 Pg. 491-501, ix (Nov 2006) ISSN: 0094-0143 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17011385 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Review)

Topics

• Electric Stimulation Therapy (instrumentation)
• Equipment Design
• Humans
• Lumbosacral Plexus
• Prostheses and Implants
• Urinary Bladder, Overactive (therapy)