Training the bladder how to void: A noninvasive spinal neuromodulation case study

Spinal cord injury results in neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) leading to reduced bladder capacity, loss of bladder sensation and inability to initiate bladder voiding. Transcutaneous Electrical Spinal Cord Neuromodulation (TESCoN) was developed to activate and retrain the spinal circuits to enable function. In this pilot study, we developed a novel method to retrain the bladder by externally filling and voluntarily emptying the bladder with saline in the presence of TESCoN. We successfully demonstrated the use of TESCoN in improving bladder capacity, regaining sensation and enabling voluntary voiding with increased voiding efficiency in an individual with complete chronic paralysis.