Project Overview

Overactive bladder (OAB) is an incurable urinary disorder that affects 18% of Canadian adults. Successful treatment can improve quality of life by alleviating anxiety, social withdrawal, depression, and preventing falls that come about when people urgently seek the bathroom. Current treatment options for OAB (and limitations) include: (a) pharmaceuticals (poor patient compliance/side effects); (b) spinal nerve stimulation (expensive and invasive implantable device); and (c) tibial nerve stimulation therapy (requires ongoing clinic-based treatment). The overall clinical efficacy of these therapies is notably limited. We have recently discovered a new nerve stimulation target that may provide improved treatment of OAB. Our goal is to show improved therapeutic benefit in patients with this novel treatment. The successful completion of this project will allow the introduction of new types of implantable devices and clinic-based treatments.

New therapy for overactive bladder