ABSTRACT
Electrical devices for the control of bladder management have a number of potential benefits over alternative methods, such as mechanical devices, pharmaceuticals, and surgical interventions. Electrical stimulation techniques can provide immediate, reversible effect. This on-demand function returns control of the bladder based on individual needs, goals, and lifestyles. Any electrical device deployed for clinical use must meet the aforementioned conditions while meeting individual bladder function goals of micturition and continence. Producing micturition via electrical stimulation is most directly achieved by activating the parasympathetic neurons that innervate the bladder and cause the detrusor to contract. Directly stimulating the bladder wall is perhaps the most intuitive approach to evoke detrusor contractions and thus bladder voiding. The pelvic nerve presents a logical site for electrical stimulation because the preganglionic parasympathetics to the bladder pass through this nerve.
