Neuroprosthetic techniques have been used to facilitate voiding via electrical stimulation for bladder management following spinal cord injury (SCI), but high urethral resistance has been a problem. This problem was investigated here in the chronic, spinal, male cat (C6-T1) using direct bladder and sacral nerve stimulation. Direct bladder stimulation was only conducted during terminal procedure...

Noninvasive functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) of the sacral nerve roots can activate gluteal muscles. We propose the use of sacral anterior root stimulator (SARS) implants to prevent ischial pressure ulcers in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population. In this study, we (1) investigated the acute effects of sacral FMS on ischial pressure, skin blood content, and oxygenation changes in people ...

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a highly prevalent functional pathology that affects women and can present with different clinical symptoms that include urinary urgency with or without incontinence, diurnal and nocturnal frequency, urinary retention, fecal incontinence, obstructive defecation, sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain. Lately, concern arised as to offer patients an advanced therapy within...

A percutaneous technique for visualizing sacral nerve roots is described. A fiberscope was inserted into the subarachnoid space through a sheath that was inserted via a percutaneous lumbar puncture. The sacral nerve roots were identified with endoscopic visualization and x-ray fluoroscopy localization of the endoscope. These images were compared with those obtained from a videoscope, which reve...

PURPOSE Sacral nerve stimulation is a safe and effective procedure for fecal incontinence. We investigated whether its efficacy is maintained long term. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty patients with fecal incontinence underwent permanent sacral nerve stimulation. Patients' data were prospectively recorded in the national registry of the Italian Group of sacral nerve stimulation. The severity of fe...

OBJECTIVES   To report about our first short series of laparoscopic implantation of neuroprothesis-LION procedure-to the sacral plexus for treatment of different neurogenic bladder dysfunctions in patients in whom percutaneous sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) failed. MATERIAL AND METHODS   A unilateral sacral LION procedure was performed in four patients with a refractary interstitial cystitis,...