Electrical Stimulation of the Bladder and Gravidity

Abstract

Following experimental investigations, the authors have performed bladder stimulator implantation for paralyzed bladder patients since 1969. Up to 1983 altogether 32 operations were carried out for bladder paralysis following 21 peripheral and 11 central neural lesions. The patients urinated without residue after the operation. The observations showed that regular use of the stimulator led to the elimination of reflux in patients who had vesicoureteral reflux before the operation. It was found that, if the stimulator had to be removed for any reason after a period of 1 or 2 years, the urinating ability was maintained. Of the 7 female patients operated, 2 became pregnant. During pregnancy and delivery, the patients did not experience any problem with the implanted stimulator, and the children were born healthy and at term.

A 3D Printed Implantable Device for Voiding the Bladder Using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Actuators

“…A limited number of treatments have been reported for restoring the control of the bladder 6, 7, 8, 9. The use of available oral drugs show limited clinical benefits,10, 11 and have numerous undesired side effects 12.…”

Evaluation of Bipolar Permaloc™ Electrodes for Direct Bladder Stimulation

“…Our prior study using current-response tests demonstrated no improvement in the peak bladder pressure that was induced with pulse duration longer than 400 s [15,19]. , Magasi et al [12,13] did not state their stimulating frequency; based on their extensive review of the literature they may have been using a frequency in the range of the 40 Hz tested here. A major difference in the stimulation methods between their study and ours was that Magasi et al used a much greater separation of the two stimulating surfaces within a bipolar set; one-fourth the distance around the bladder (horizontal plane of orientation) rather than the 5 mm separation used in this study.…”

“…Current stimulation methods were not optimal as compared to the clinical study by Magassi et al [12,13] in areas of electrode characteristics and electrode geometry.…”

“…Early clinical experience using long wire electrodes reported problems such as high urethral *Address correspondence to this author at the Hines VA Hospital (151), Research Service, Hines, IL 60141, USA; Tel: 708-202-5805; Fax: 708-202-2319; E-mail: james.walter@va.gov resistance, low bladder pressures, pain, electrode migration and other slide effects [6][7][8][9][10][11]. In a more recent study, however, Magasi et al [12,13] reported success with eight, small, platinum-iridium, disk electrodes implanted on the surface of the bladder wall as four bipolar pairs. Separation of the electrodes in the bipolar sets was one-fourth the distance around the bladder, and the most important implant locations were on the ventral side of the bladder near the ureters.…”

“…Recently we reported that bipolar barb electrodes with little separation between the two stimulating surfaces were effective for inducing high bladder pressures in anesthetized dogs [14]. In this study, we purchased Permaloc ™ bipolar electrodes (Synapse Biomedical Inc, Oberlin OH) that also had little separation between the stimulating surfaces, in contrast to the wide seperation used by Magasi et al [12,13], and tests were conducted with bladder wall stimulation in swine.…”