Inhibitory effects of a minimally invasive implanted tibial nerve stimulation device on non-nociceptive bladder reflexes in cats.

Abstract

The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of a novel minimally invasive implanted tibial nerve stimulation device on non-nociceptive bladder reflexes in cats. A wireless minimally invasive implanted nerve stimulator was implanted adjacent to the left tibial nerve in seven cats. Multiple cystometrograms (CMGs) were obtained to determine the inhibitory effects of tibial nerve stimulation (TNS) at different frequencies and intensities on the micturition reflex by infusing normal saline (NS). TNS at 6Hz did not significantly change the bladder capacity (BC) compared to the control level at the intensity threshold (T), while TNS significantly (P < 0.05) increased the BC to 158.89 ± 20.57% of the control level at 2T. When stimulated at 15Hz, TNS did not significantly (P > 0.05) change the BCs at 1T and 2T. The minimally invasive implanted TNS device was shown to be effective in inhibiting the micturition reflex under physiologic conditions. Further studies are warranted to determine the inhibitory effects of TNS on nociceptive bladder reflexes.