Sacral Neuromodulation

Developed in 1980, Sacral Neuromodulation helps restore normal nerve activity using a small implanted medical device. The device sends mild electrical impulses to a nerve located just above the tailbone to restore bladder control.

Dr. Joshi has recently started using Sacral Neuromodulation to treat different types of bladder control problems like urge incontinence (OAB wet or OAB dry) or overflow incontinence.

Generally treatment involves 3 steps:

1. Testing for incontinence
2. Evaluation phase: It is temporary phase used to determine whether the treatment is right for you. It is done under local anaesthesia where an electrode- a thin wire- is inserted in the nerve that controls the bladder, to see the response.
3. Therapy phase: An implantable neurostimulator (INS) similar to a pacemaker and a permanent electrode is implanted under the skin. The INS is made up of titanium (a strong, light and biocompatible metal ideal for comfortable long-term implant). A hand-held patient programmer enables you to adjust level of stimulation and on-off control.

Please refer to Medtronics brochure for detailed description of precautions and risks.

Being an implanted device, patient need to take proper precautions. These include taking precautions while working in high voltage environment and during some other medical treatments like lithotripsy, radiation, ultrasound or scanning, to name a few.

Most of the surgical procedures are performed under anaesthesia. Recovery time varies with the type of procedure is chosen and it is important to have a talk with Dr Joshi regarding the care and precautions to be observed after the surgery.

All surgical procedure come with their own risks, some of them could be life-threatening. Your doctor will explain you all the risks associated with a particular procedure, to assist you in your decision making.

Please contact us to request detailed Medtronics brochure.