New Sacral Neuromodulation Device For Overactive Bladder Introduced In Italy
- Doctors at the Città della Salute e della Scienza in Turin have performed the first Italian procedure using a new sacral neuromodulation system for overactive bladder.
- The condition stems from a breakdown in the complex signaling network connecting the brain, spinal cord, sacral nerves, and bladder.
- Surgeons place a small implantable generator in the lower back to send mild electrical impulses to the sacral nerves.
Doctors at the Città della Salute e della Scienza in Turin have performed the first Italian procedure using a new sacral neuromodulation system for overactive bladder. The device eliminates the need for battery recharging and is designed to last between 10 and 20 years. Across Italy, the condition affects roughly 3 million people. It causes sudden and difficult-to-control urges to urinate, frequent bathroom trips, nighttime awakenings, and involuntary leaks that disrupt work, sleep, and social life.
Inside the Neural Pathways of Bladder Control
The condition stems from a breakdown in the complex signaling network connecting the brain, spinal cord, sacral nerves, and bladder. This miscommunication can trigger contractions and urgency even when the organ is not full.
Sacral neuromodulation addresses the disruption directly. Surgeons place a small implantable generator in the lower back to send mild electrical impulses to the sacral nerves. Instead of forcing the bladder muscle to contract, the treatment modulates the neural pathways that control urinary function.
The Critical Trial Phase and Patient Selection
International guidelines recommend the therapy for patients who have not achieved adequate symptom control through lifestyle adjustments and medication.
Before receiving the permanent implant, patients undergo a trial stimulation phase to test their individual response. Only those who experience a significant reduction in symptoms proceed to the definitive procedure, ensuring the therapy targets the individuals most likely to benefit.
Weighing Longevity Against Periodic Maintenance
Traditional non-rechargeable sacral neuromodulation devices have shorter lifespans that often require follow-up surgeries to replace depleted generators. By contrast, the newly introduced system functions for up to two decades, depending on the programmed stimulation parameters. Existing literature also includes rechargeable devices designed to function for more than twenty years, but the system implanted in Turin combines longevity with the absence of periodic recharging.
The introduction of a new sacral neuromodulation system is an innovation compared to what has been used over the last 30 years,
said Paola Bertapelle of the Fabrizio Rosso Sacral Neuromodulation Center at the Città della Salute e della Scienza in Turin.
Long-Term Clinical Efficacy and Sustained Relief
Clinical studies on newer-generation systems demonstrate sustained symptom relief over time for patients who pass the initial test phase. In a two-year study involving 129 participants with urgency urinary incontinence, 93 percent of those who completed the follow-up maintained treatment response. They reported fewer incontinence episodes and better overall quality of life.
Medical experts note that while an extended battery life reduces the frequency of replacement surgeries, it does not alter the underlying clinical efficacy of the sacral neuromodulation therapy itself.
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