Acute animal studies on electrically induced collision block of pudendal nerve motor activity

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper we describe acute experiments in five adult male dogs on testing of a pudendal nerve cuff electrode implant for collision block of motor signals to the periurethral sphincter. The average quasi‐trapezoidal stimulus parameters at an “operating point” where antidromic unidirectionally propagating action potentials (needed to produce a motor collision block) were most effectively produced were regulated current level of 14.2 mA (S.D. 2.3 mA), pulse width of 500 μsec (S.D. 71 μsec), and a 90% to 10% exponential fall‐time (following the rectangular stimulus phase) of 840 μsec (S.D. 147 μsec). With these parameters for single monophasic stimuli, an average pressure reduction at the distal urethra of 89% (S.D. 6%) could be elicited in comparison to the maximal single stimulus pressure response. In two tests of collision block with stimulus trains a substantial decrease in distal urethral pressure could be elicited using either monophasic or the electrochemically preferable balanced‐charge biphasic (BCB) waveforms (e.g., pressure reductions of 76% and 89% with 30 Hz BCB collision block).