Urinary Incontinence
The APTC is currently recruiting volunteers for research studies that aim to address and improve the various bladder issues that individuals may experience after spinal cord injury. Please refer to the information below to learn about our current and future participation opportunities in this area!
Open Studies:
Triggered Sacral Neuromodulation to Treat Neurogenic Detrusor Overactivity Based on Algorithmic Classification of Bladder Filling Status from Wireless Pressure Data
Incontinence associates with military service and post-traumatic stress disorder in both male and female Veterans. Neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) is caused by spinal cord injury or disorder, or peripheral neurodegenerative conditions, and causes urine leakage at low volumes. NDO is disproportionately experienced by Veterans and treatment effectiveness varies greatly between individuals.
This project will demonstrate the feasibility of a new type of electrical stimulation to the nerves called “triggered sacral neuromodulation” to treat NDO in Veterans using a wireless sensor that is inserted into the bladder. This sensor will transmit a feedback signal enabling stimulation from a percutaneous lead as well as measure NDO symptoms during simulated activities of daily living without catheters. Catheter-free detection of bladder activity will improve the outcomes of neuromodulation evaluations for Veterans with NDO.
Future work could use the triggered neuromodulation system to study other methods of nerve stimulation to treat bladder, bowel, or sexual dysfunction.
Contact info@aptcenter.org if you are interested in getting involved!
Upcoming Projects:
At-home Monitoring of Bladder Dysfunction for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury
Point-of-care Detection of Lower Urinary Tract Risk for Veterans Using Catheters for Bladder Emptying
