Bladder 'pacemaker' can fix overactive bladder, other voiding issues
April 29, 2011 By Amanda Harper in Cancer
If your day is punctuated by urgent trips to the bathroom or trouble emptying your bladder, you might have a voiding dysfunction condition. The good news is that it can be easily treated.
UC Health urologist Ayman Mahdy, MD, says many people suffer silently with symptoms of overactive bladder (urge incontinence)intense urgency, increased frequency or even urine leakagebecause they are unaware the problem can be corrected.
"Voiding dysfunction problems can greatly impact a persons quality of life. Some may stop most of their daily activities, others may become socially isolated while still others have trouble functioning in their jobs because they have to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes or even less, explains Mahdy, who also serves as the director of voiding dysfunction, female urology and urodynamics at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.
Voiding dysfunction takes many forms and is more common with age or certain conditions. The problem affects both men and women.
In cases where conservative measures fail, Mahdy offers a convenient outpatient surgical treatment for patients with overactive bladder that has been shown to improve bladder function for patients with urgency, frequency and/or urge incontinence. The same procedure might also be indicated for other forms of voiding dysfunction such as urinary retention.
The procedurecalled InterStim therapy involves implantation of a small device that regulates the activity of the sacral nerve, which helps control bladder function. The procedure is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a safe and effective means of restoring normal bladder function in patients who experience urgency, trouble emptying or holding urine. The procedure is also covered by insurance.
"InterStim therapy is like a pacemaker for the bladder, Mahdy explains. "Once implanted, it regulates the pelvic floor nerves responsible for bladder control, resulting in better function. The device measures about two inches and works automatically.
InsterStim therapy can be used for patients who experience:
Frequent urges to urinate (overactive bladder)
Inability to hold urine because of urgency
Incomplete bladder emptying
Trouble sleeping due to bladder control issues
The need to use the bathroom more than seven times per day
No to little control over their bladder
Some cases of bladder pain
"The first step is to seek thorough evaluation with a urologist so that the underlying problem can be diagnosed and treated in the most effective way, adds Mahdy.
Provided by
University of Cincinnati
-
Listening to the urinary stream
Apr 23, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Warning for women who binge drink
Nov 09, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
International drug study shows rapid improvement in overactive bladder symptoms
Oct 09, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
New hope for sufferers of overactive bladder
Oct 29, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Findings on bladder-brain link may point to better treatments for problems in sleep, attention
Jul 29, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Why is zone 1 in liver more prone to ischemic injury?
May 23, 2013
-
How can there be villous adenoma in colon, if there are no villi there
May 22, 2013
-
How can there be a term called "intestinal metaplasia" of stomach
May 21, 2013
-
Pressure-volume curve: Elastic Recoil Pressure don't make sense
May 18, 2013
-
If you became brain-dead, would you want them to pull the plug?
May 17, 2013
-
MRI bill question
May 15, 2013
- More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences
More news stories
New fluorescent tools for cancer diagnosis
In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) and other non-coding RNAs are small molecules that help control the expression of specific proteins. In recent years they have emerged as disease biomarkers. miRNA profiles have been used ...
Cancer
15 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Modulating the immune system to combat metastatic cancer
Cancer cells spread and grow by avoiding detection and destruction by the immune system. Stimulation of the immune system can help to eliminate cancer cells; however, there are many factors that cause the immune system to ...
Cancer
15 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Scientists put bowel cancer under the microscope
Researchers from London's Kingston University have begun a two-year study which could help prolong the lives of people with colorectal tumours.
Cancer
18 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Researcher identifies breast cancer fighting hormone
Transformative research from Western University has identified new hormones in the body which may suppress breast cancer and stimulate the regression of breast tumors.
Cancer
19 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Ground breaking cancer research finds immune system link
(Medical Xpress)—Curtin University researchers have found evidence that targeting specific cells in the body can reverse the effects of cancer on the immune system.
Cancer
19 hours ago |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
Engineered cytomegalovirus protects monkeys from HIV equivalent
(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys ...
Researchers identify first drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder
Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM)—a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers ...
Hormone levels may provide key to understanding psychological disorders in women
Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL.
Going live: Immune cell activation in multiple sclerosis
Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to ...
Help at hand for people with schizophrenia
How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen.
Alzheimer's disease, the soft target of the euthanasia debate
(Medical Xpress)—The way Alzheimer's disease is portrayed by advocacy groups and the media is having undue influence on the euthanasia debate, according to a Deakin University nursing ethics professor.