Interstim Therapy InterStim therapy is a pacemaker for the bladder used to reestablish appropriate nueromodulation of the bladder. The device works by using a stimulator device in the buttocks to stimulate the S3 nerve root in the pelvis. This is the primary nerve root for bladder function.
Overview Management of voiding dysfunction in neurologic disorders can substantially improve the quality of life as well as the health of patients. A systematic review of the pattern of voiding dysfunction leads to an understanding of the underlying mechanism, which, in turn, allows the treating physician to develop a strategy for managing it. Neurourology, although a relatively new field of study, has revolutionized the management of a vexing problem that affects millions of patients.
BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a disease of the CNS characterized by severe optic neuritis and longitudinally extended transverse myelitis. Recent studies suggest that anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies, NMO-specific biomarkers, are pathogenic and target AQP4-expressing astrocytes in NMO, although an additional event (T-cell response or infection) should occur for anti-AQP4 antibodies and complements to pass through the blood-brain barrier and cause the CNS lesions
We systematically evaluated the frequency of neurological disorders and muscle and neural autoantibodies in 177 patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and in 250 control subjects (173 healthy; 77 multiple sclerosis, MS, patients). An excess of myasthenia gravis (MG, 2%), and muscle-type acetylcholine receptor antibody (11%) was detected among NMO patients. The presence of neural or muscle autoantibodies was more common in NMO patients (34%) than in MS patients or healthy controls (7%), P less than 0.0001