EMERGING FES APPLICATIONS FOR CONTROL OF THE URINARY BLADDER

Four emerging applications of electrical stimulation to treat bladder dysfunction are described. The first application concerns selective stimulation of the small diameter nerve fibers in the sacral nerve roots. This allows for near physiological bladder emptying in spinal cord injured patients. The second application treats detrusor overactivity by stimulating the pudendal nerve using an injectable stimulator (BION). Treatment of neurogenic detrusor overactivity is the aim of the third application. A closed loop stimulation system, consisting of a sensor and stimulator, is used and allows for conditional stimulation. Finally an application to treat mixed incontinence is described.