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Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of sacral root neuromodulation with that of conservative management in ameliorating symptoms of refractory urinary urge incontinence and enhancing quality of life, to assess the objective response to neuromodulation as revealed by urodynamic testing, and to delineate the long-term outcomes of neuromodulation., Methods: Forty-four patients with refractory urge incontinence were randomized to undergo neuromodulation with an implantable impulse generator (n = 21) or to continue their prior conservative management (n = 23). At 6 months the control group was eligible for crossover to implant. Patient evaluation included voiding diaries, quality of life questionnaires, urodynamic testing, and documentation of adverse events. Long-term follow-up evaluations were conducted at 6-month intervals up to 36 months., Results: At 6 months mean leakage episodes, leakage severity and pad usage in the implant group were significantly lower by 88% (p < 0.0005), 24% (p = 0.047) and 90% (p < 0.0005), respectively, than the corresponding control group mean values. Improvements in leakage episodes and pad usage of >/=90% were attained by 75 and 85% of the implant group, respectively, but none of the control group. One third of implant patients, but none of the control patients, achieved >/=50% improvement in leakage severity. Over half of the implant patients (56%) were completely dry compared with 1 control patient (4%). Implant patients, but not control patients, exhibited significant improvement with respect to two quality of life measures. Neuromodulation resulted in increases of 220% (p < 0.0005) and 39% (p = 0.013), respectively, in urodynamically assessed bladder volume at first contraction and maximum fill. At 36 months the actuarial rate of treatment failure was 32.4% (95% CI, 17.0-56.0%). Adverse events most frequently involved pain at the implant site, and the incidence of serious complications was low., Conclusions: Neuromodulation is markedly more effective than conservative management in alleviating symptoms of refractory urge incontinence. Quality of life and urodynamic function are also improved by neuromodulation. The effects of neuromodulation are long-lasting, and associated morbidity is low.

The aim of this study was to determine the long-term clinical efficacy and complications of neuromodulation with a unilateral sacral foramen electrode in 36 patients with chronic voiding dysfunction. Following a positive effect of a percutaneous nerve evaluation test, patients underwent open surgery. A permanent electrode was implanted in 24 patients with urge incontinence, in 6 with urgency-frequency syndrome, and in 6 with nonobstructive urinary retention. After an average follow-up period of 37.8 months, 19 patients (52.8%) continue to benefit from the neuromodulation with a significant improvement of symptoms and urodynamic parameters. The median duration of the therapeutic effect for the total study population was longer than 60 months. No significant difference in the median duration of therapeutic effect with regard to sex, the type of voiding disorder, or the implant pulse generator was found. However, in patients with previous psychological disorders the median duration of therapeutic effect was only 12 months (P = 0.008). Complications were mild. In the group of patients in whom the therapeutic effect remains, 37 reoperations have had to be performed. We conclude that although reoperations were needed to overcome technical problems, patients can achieve lasting symptomatic improvement. Since technical changes in the equipment have reduced the number of complications, even better results can be expected in terms of the reoperation rate.

Midodrine is a potent and selective alpha1-receptor agonist and its potential to increase urethral closure pressure could be useful in the treatment of female stress incontinence. The aim of this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of midodrine for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The primary criterion of efficacy was the maximum urethral closure pressure at rest. Voiding diaries, symptom and incontinence questionnaires and patient/investigator global assessment were also used to evaluate its efficacy. After 4 weeks of treatment no significant changes in MUCP were found. The global assessment by the patient and investigator did indicate that patients on active treatment had a more positive assessment than the placebo group. In conclusion, midodrine did not cause significant improvements in urodynamic parameters, but there were subjective improvements in some of the patients in the treated groups. Furthermore midodrine was well tolerated.

Objectives: Neuromodulation is a new technique that uses electrical stimulation of the sacral nerves for patients with refractory urinary urge/frequency or urge-incontinence, and some forms of urinary retention. The limiting factor for receiving an implant is often a failure of the percutaneous nerve evaluation (PNE) test. Present publications mention only about a 50% success score for PNE of all patients, although the micturition diaries and urodynamic parameters are similar. We wanted to investigate whether PNE results improved by using a permanent electrode as a PNE test. This would show that improvement of the PNE technique is feasible., Methods: In 10 patients where the original PNE had failed to improve the micturition diary parameters more than 50%, a permanent electrode was implanted by operation. It was connected to an external stimulator. In those cases where the patients improved according to their micturition diary by more than 50% during a period of 4 days, the external stimulator was replaced by a permanent subcutaneous neurostimulator., Results: Eight of the 10 patients had a good to very good result (60% to 90% improvement) during the testing period and received their implant 5 to 14 days after the first stage., Conclusions: The good results of the two-stage implant technique we used indicate that the development of better PNE electrodes may lead to an improvement of the testing technique and better selection between nonresponders and technical failures.

1. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a major pathogen in immunocompromised individuals and may participate in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in the general population. We evaluated whether CMV-infection alters the function of arterial smooth muscle. 2. Blood pressure (BP) and arterial reactivity were recorded in immunosuppressed rats that had been infected with CMV (10(5) plaque forming units i.p.). Furthermore, the reactivity of isolated arteries was compared between CMV-infected rats and rats injected with bacterial endotoxin (LPS). 3. Initially resting BP and heart rate (HR) were not modified in CMV-infected rats, but baroreflex control of HR was impaired. By the eighth day post-CMV, BP dropped precipitously and could no longer be raised by phenylephrine (PHE). 4. In mesenteric resistance arteries, isolated at this stage from CMV-infected rats, contractile responses to nerve stimulation, noradrenaline, PHE and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were virtually absent while those to high potassium and vasopressin (AVP) were not modified. In aortae of CMV-infected rats, responses to 5-HT and AVP were impaired while those to PHE or potassium were hardly affected. Reduced contractile responses could not be restored by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). 5. Continuous treatment of CMV-infected rats with prazosin (0.1 mg kg-1 day-1) prevented blood pressure lowering and resistance artery changes. 6. Observations in arteries of LPS-treated rats (5-10 mg kg-1, i.p.) differed markedly from those in vessels of CMV-infected animals. The contractile reactivity of their mesenteric resistance arteries was not altered while in their aortae, responses to PHE, 5-HT and AVP were reduced. With the exception of the AVP responses, this was more pronounced in the presence of 1-arginine and reversed by L-NAME. 7. These findings indicate that CMV-infection results in a reduction of resistance artery reactivity and hypotonia. This seems not to involve cytokine-mediated induction of NO synthase in the vascular wall but may be due to alterations of excitation-contraction coupling in arterial smooth muscle in response to increased sympathetic nervous input.

Regional hemodynamics following intravenous injection of furosemide were studied in conscious rats instrumented with Doppler flowprobes. Furosemide caused a dose-dependent acute (within 3 min) transient increase in renal resistance (RR) followed by a later generalized vasoconstriction in the renal, mesenteric and hindquarter (HQR) vascular bed. With in vitro experiments a possible direct effect of furosemide on renal artery segments was excluded. The acute rise in RR was partly (approximately 40%) attenuated by pretreatment with phentolamine or prazosin, but not prevented by renal denervation, volume repletion or pretreatment with captopril, losartan, indomethacin, aminophylline, nifedipine, or a vasopressin V1A-receptor-antagonist. However, the acute renal vasoconstriction was absent in water diuretic rats. The later vasoconstriction was blunted by captopril (RR+HQR), losartan (RR) and phentolamine (HQR) pretreatment. We conclude that the later generalized vasoconstriction following furosemide involves regional specific stimulation of angiotensin II and alpha-adrenoceptors. The mechanism of the acute renal vasoconstriction could not be fully determined. Because of its absence in water diuretic rats, its rapid onset, transient nature and relative insensitivity for pharmacological tools in euvolemic rats, the acute increase in RR following furosemide may be caused by cell swelling as a result from dissipation of the renal medullary gradient.

We evaluated whether chronic alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation, angiotensin II (AII), or increased blood pressure (BP) alters resistance arterial structure and function. Structural parameters and wall tension were recorded in mesenteric small arteries (MrA) isolated from 6-week-old normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats that had been infused for 4 days with saline (WKY), 2 mg/kg/day phenylephrine (WKY + PHE), or 0.3 mg/kg/day AII (WKY + AII) and from saline-infused spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). During the experimental period, systolic BP (SBP) did not change in WKY but increased in WKY + PHE, WKY + AII, and SHR. Relative cardiac mass did not differ between SHR and WKY, but was increased in WKY + PHE and WKY + AII. Stiffness and optimal lumen diameter of MrA did not differ between WKY and SHR and were not altered in WKY + PHE or WKY + AII. Maximal contractile responses and sensitivities for vasconstrictors and calcium in vessels of WKY + AII and SHR did not differ from those in WKY. In vessels of WKY + PHE, maximal responses to vasoconstrictors and sensitivities for norepinephrine (NE) and PHE were reduced. Relaxing responses to isoproterenol (ISO) and Na-nitroprusside did not differ between SHR and WKY and were not altered in WKY + PHE and WKY + AII. Those to acetylcholine (ACh) were reduced in WKY + PHE. Media cross-sectional area and media thickness were significantly larger in WKY + AII and SHR as compared with WKY but were not altered in WKY + PHE. These data indicate that in young rats AII leads to small artery hypertrophy and that neither increased BP or increased vasconstriction appear to be involved therein. Chronic alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation, on the other hand, did not modify small artery structure but resulted in nonselective reduction of arterial smooth muscle contractile reactivity.