Overactive bladder, the first surgery in Italy with a StimRouter at the Policlinico di Catania

It was performed in Catania, in the Urology unit of the G. Rodolico-S. Marco the first intervention in Italy for the treatment of overactive bladder carried out through the placement of a device called StimRouter.

The surgery was performed on a 33-year-old man with overactive bladder syndrome who was not responding to drug treatment. The disease in question affects about 16% of the population of any age in Italy, the number of people affected increases by seniority, affecting about 2 out of 10 people over the age of 60.

The StimRouter system consists of a fully implantable lead that is percutaneously positioned at the posterior tibial nerve and does not require an implantable pulse stimulator (battery) to which the lead must be connected. It is an application of advanced technologies to bladder surgery.

The implantation of this device is an innovative intervention as it allows with a minimally invasive method the application of a tiny filament, which goes completely unnoticed, guaranteeing self-management to the patient. The application of a lead offers the possibility of definitive therapeutic resolution for patients suffering from this syndrome, who can thus avoid more invasive surgery and this is already a first advantage.

The operation can be performed under local anesthesia through a small incision, therefore it can also be performed on an outpatient basis. It is also comfortable enough for patients as they can self-modulate therapy via a remote control. Incontinence and other symptoms are reduced through electrical impulses that are delivered directly to the tibial nerve to modulate the urgency signals before they reach the brain, thus improving the natural pathways of regulation of the urinary stimulus, preventing the bladder from stimulating too early or too large which can lead to incontinence.