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Chronic Electrical Stimulation to Reduce Bladder Hyperreflexia
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
Bladder spasms after spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in incontinence, urinary tract infections, kidney damage, trigger dangerous increases in blood pressure and decrease independence and quality of life. The investigators' long-term goal is to develop and provide a "bladder pacemaker" able to restore bladder continence for Veterans with SCI. Electrical stimulation of sensory nerves can stop bladder spasms during a doctor visit. However, this approach has not been tested during long term home use. This proposal will 1) determine how well sensory stimulation reduces incontinence and improves quality of life for Veterans with SCI during 1 year of home use, and 2) produce an effective take home system that can be used by more Veterans and other VAs.
Official title: Long Term Genital Nerve Stimulation to Improve Urinary Continence
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
17
Start Date
2019-11-01
Completion Date
2023-09-30
Last Updated
2026-08-20
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Genital Nerve Stimulation
Genital nerve stimulation activates sensory afferents that travel through the pudendal nerves and enters the spinal cord through the sacral dorsal root ganglia. Inhibitory spinal reflex pathways are activated, causing increased sympathetic outflow through the inferior mesenteric ganglion and hypogastric nerve and also decreased parasympathetic efferent drive through the pelvic nerve, resulting in inhibited bladder contractions.
Locations (2)
Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY
Syracuse, New York, United States
Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
Cleveland, Ohio, United States