Before the InterStim, typical treatments, depending on the type of problem, ranged from a change in diet to surgery. Often patients required bladder enlargement surgery. The procedure requires a foot-long incision and about nine days in the hospital. Possible complications include chronic, painful urinary-tract infections and chronic diarrhea. Patients with urge incontinence, an involuntary loss of urine associated with a sudden, strong desire to urinate, can have their bladders enlarged.
Doctors can also surgically create an opening to divert urine away from the bladder.
But the InterStim bypasses these procedures and uses the sacral nerve, the direct connection between the brain and the bladder, to fix the problem. Typically, when the bladder fills, the person feels the urge to urinate but delays going to the restroom. The brain sends that decision to the bladder, causing the bladder muscles to relax and tightening the bladder neck muscles and the sphincter. When the person is ready to urinate, the brain again sends a signal. The bladder muscles tighten and the sphincter relaxes, letting urine flow out.