You have accessJournal of UrologyUrodynamics/Incontinence/Female Urology: Incontinence - Evaluation & Therapy III1 Apr 20121362 ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE PUDENDUAL NERVE PROMOTES FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AFTER SIMULATED BIRTH INJURY Hai-Hong Jiang, Raul Juarez, Yolanda Cruz, and Margot Damaser Hai-Hong JiangHai-Hong Jiang Cleveland, OH More articles by this author , Raul JuarezRaul Juarez Cleveland, OH More articles by this author , Yolanda CruzYolanda Cruz Cleveland, OH More articles by this author , and Margot DamaserMargot Damaser Cleveland, OH More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2012.02.1745AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Birth injury is one of important factor for female stress urinary incontinence (SUI), while urethra function for continence can be impaired during the vaginal delivery due to compression to urethra as well as pudendal nerve. We demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the pudendal nerve after simulated childbirth upregulates brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in Onuf's nucleus in previous study. In this further study, we investigates the effects of pudendal nerve electrical stimulation on recovery of urinary continence following simulated childbirth, vaginal distension (VD) and pudendal nerve crush (PNC). METHODS The Sprague-Dawley female rats (n=24, 225-250g) were assigned to 3 groups of the simulated birth injury plus electrical stimulation (I&E, n=8), the injury plus sham electrical stimulation (I&S, n=8), and sham injury plus sham electrical stimulation (S&S, n=8). Rats in I&E and I&S groups underwent 4 hours of VD followed by bilateral PNC. Rats in I&E received 1 hour of bilateral electrical stimulation (20 Hz, 0.3mA, 0.1 ms duration) of the pudendal nerve proximal to the crush site immediately after PNC and 2 times per week for 2 weeks, when urethral function was assessed via leak point pressure (LPP) and simultaneous external urethral sphincter (EUS) electromyography (EMG) using a transurethral catheter and needle wire electrodes. Rats in I&S received VD and PNC followed by sham stimulation immediately and 2 times per week. S&S received the same procedures but without balloon distension, pudendal nerve crush, or electrical stimulation. A 2 way ANOVA was used to analyze the results, with the 2 factors of dual injury and electrical stimulation. P<0.05 indicated a significant difference between groups. RESULTS Two weeks after injury, simulated birth injury significantly decreased both LPP and amplitude of EUS EMG (p<0.05) while electrical stimulation significantly increased LPP and amplitude of EUS EMG (p<0.05). Simulated birth injury significantly decreased EUS EMG firing rate but electrical stimulation did not significantly improve it. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that bilateral electrical stimulation immediately facilitates recovery of continence after simulated birth injury. Based on our previous work, we suggest it does so by increasing expression of neurotrophins, particularly BDNF, in Onuf's nucleus. We conclude that electrical stimulation has potential as a preventative paradigm for SUI to facilitate recovery of continence after birth. © 2012 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 187Issue 4SApril 2012Page: e552-e553 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2012 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Hai-Hong Jiang Cleveland, OH More articles by this author Raul Juarez Cleveland, OH More articles by this author Yolanda Cruz Cleveland, OH More articles by this author Margot Damaser Cleveland, OH More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF DownloadLoading ...