InterStim^® Offers Help for Bladder
Control Problems

InterStim® therapy for urinary control includes a neurostimulator and electrode lead that can help control the bladder.

60-year-old woman who recently sought treatment with G. Bino Rucker, MD, urologist at Manatee Memorial Hospital, had been dealing with an annoying, embarrassing problem for 15 years, and she was tired of it. She suffered from intense, uncontrollable urges to urinate, and she would often leak urine before she could make it to the bathroom. Medications had not been helpful, so she was referred to Dr. Rucker.

This patient was one of the millions of Americans with bladder control problems that make it difficult to control when and how they urinate. "These problems are underdiagnosed and undertreated, but they have a huge impact on people's daily lives," Dr. Rucker says. "People end up limiting their activities just so they'll be close to a bathroom. They believe that this is just a normal part of aging and nothing can be done."

New Procedure May Help
A minimally invasive procedure at Manatee Memorial might offer a solution. InterStim^® therapy for urinary control consists of a small pacemaker-like neurostimulator, about the size of a stopwatch, and a lead (a thin wire with electrodes at its tip). The neurostimulator is implanted under the skin just above the buttock, and the electrode is threaded alongside the sacral nerve, which helps control the bladder and surrounding muscles that manage urination. The neurostimulator emits mild electrical pulses through the lead that help regulate the sacral nerve's function, which may eliminate or reduce bladder control symptoms. Dr. Rucker and his partners at Urology Partners, Edward Hermann, MD, and Alan Miller, MD are the first physicians in Bradenton to offer this procedure.

"Test-Drive" the System
InterStim may not work for everyone, but you can "test-drive" the device before the entire system is implanted. During the test stimulation, a temporary lead is implanted and connected to a neurostimulator you wear externally on a belt. Over the next week, as you determine whether there is any improvement, you can fine-tune the strength of the electrical signal to determine what level of stimulation is most effective. If the system is successful, the physician can implant a permanent lead and neurostimulator in a second procedure. Both procedures normally take less than an hour under local anesthesia, and patients usually return home the same day.

Some patients may experience mild pain or soreness at the neurostimulator implantation site, but Dr. Rucker notes that this is unusual. The stimulation also may cause a feeling of warmth or pressure during or before urination. If patients decide they do not want the device even after the implantation procedure, it can be removed, although symptoms likely will return. The neurostimulator battery must be replaced every three to seven years in a simple outpatient procedure. Dr. Rucker says the manufacturer is developing a new model with a battery that can be recharged remotely.

G. Bino Rucker, MD Urology Partners 200 3rd Avenue West Suite 210 Brandenton, FL 34205 941-792-0340

Some patients experience dramatic improvement, as did the woman mentioned at the beginning of this story. According to Dr. Rucker, "the day after the procedure, her symptoms resolved completely and she no longer needs to wear incontinence pads."

Could InterStim^® Work for You?

• Urge Incontinence: You experience an intense, abrupt need to urinate, but before you make it to the bathroom, your bladder leaks.
• Frequent Urination: Even though you urinated less than an hour ago, the need to go again strikes you suddenly and intensely.
• Urinary Retention: The urge strikes and you rush to the bathroom -- only to find you cannot go.

G. Bino Rucker, MD, urologist at Manatee Memorial Hospital, says people often suffer from bladder control problems for years because they are too embarrassed to bring up the issue with their physicians. "Don't be afraid to ask for help," he says. "Besides InterStim, there are many options, including behavioral modification, pelvic training exercise and medications, which may be right for you."

Want to improve your Bladder Control?
For more information about InterStim^® therapy for urinary control and free seminars about bladder control problems, please call Urology Partners at 941-792-0340.

206 Second Street East, Bradenton, FL 34208 941-746-5111 FAX: 941-745-6862