Medtronic is launching the NURO System for treating people with overactive bladder who experience urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and urge incontinence. The device, originally developed by Advanced Uro-Solutions, a Tennessee company later acquired by Medtronic, sends electrical stimulation pulses to the tibial nerve.
This is done by inserting a thin needle into the skin near the ankle and attaching an electrode from the NURO to it. The NURO then sends electric current pulses during thirty minute weekly sessions that are supposed to be administered for twelve weeks. If the therapy wasn’t sufficiently effective but showed progress, the patient’s physician may choose to extend the therapy.
The reason the system works is because there seems to be a communication inconsistency between the bladder and the brain that it re-tunes by sending the electric pulses that are simultaneously received by the brain and the bladder.
Here’s a quick animation showing the usage of the NURO System:
Source: Medtronic…