title: Effects of pulsed-radiofrequency neuromodulation on the rat with overactive bladder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify the effects of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) electrical stimulations of the pudendal and pelvic nerves on the bladder function of rats with detrusor overactivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  All rats were pretreated with a continuous transvesical infusion of 0.5% acetic acid (AA) for inducing detrusor overactivity. Intravesical pressure was recorded using cysometrography (CMG) during the continuous transvesical infusion to examine the effects of PRF electrical stimulation of the pudendal and pelvic nerves individually. In addition, the activity of caspase-3, an apoptosis marker, in the pelvic nerve was examined to evaluate the impact of PRF on nerve injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to the first CMG recording, AA treatment significantly reduced bladder capacity (BC) and intercontraction interval (ICI) to 65% and 66% of the corresponding control values, respectively. Subsequently, PRF electrical stimulation of the pelvic nerve inhibited AA-induced detrusor overactivity and significantly increased BC to approximately 102-110% and ICI to 79-92%; these effects persisted for at least 4 h. Furthermore, PRF did not cause significant neural damage to the target stimulated nerves, as demonstrated by caspase-3 activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PRF electrical stimulation of pelvic nerves exerted a long-lasting effect of suppressing AA-induced detrusor overactivity. This modality can be used as an alternative approach for improving bladder continence in patients with overactive bladder syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: En
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jen
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Neural Regenerative Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Physical Therapy and Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine and Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsung-Hsun
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsung-Che
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Neurosurgery, China Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Meng-Chao
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Anesthesiology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fu-Jung
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Ting
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Ching
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Yi
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chii-Wann
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D019342:Acetic Acid; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D061208:Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D019342:Acetic Acid
keywords: acetic acid; electrical stimulation; overactive bladder; pelvic nerve; pudendal nerve; pulsed radiofrequency