Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
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Objective. In the present study we wanted to determine whether sacral neuromodulation benefits patients with bladder and bowel symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods. At our Institute, five patients with MS underwent unilateral implantation of a sacral neuromodulation system, InterStim (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA), between April 2001 and June 2002; the mean follow-up was 30.4 months (range 24-38). ⋯ Results. There was an overall 81.4% decrease of urgency and frequency with a significant decrease in the number of upper urinary tract infections and fever; there was a slight improvement in bowel function; there was an overall 51.8% improvement in the QoL and a discernible improvement emotional well-being. Conclusions. Unilateral chronic sacral neuromodulation can be a valuable treatment for neurogenic bladder and bowel disorders associated with MS.
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Objective The purpose of this study was to test if the F-response can be repressed volitionally. Normally, the F-response is used for clinical diagnostics but it also has an important influence on the design of a neural prosthesis involving functional electrical stimulation (FES) and the use of volitional myoelectric signal (MES) for control. Methods Ten neurologically normal subjects were trained to reduce the level of the F-response from the anterior tibial muscle. ⋯ From the first to the last session of a trial, the change was found not significant. Conclusion The level of the F-response may change locally, but there is no indication that a subject can volitionally learn to repress the response, even when given feedback information about the actual level. Therefore the F-waves in the myoelectric signal from a stimulated muscle has to be accounted for when designing devices using a stimulated muscle response for myoelectric control such as eliminating the F-interval from the recorded signal.