Patent ID: 8685924

Claim:
A method of screening for a substance that increases a leak point pressure by about 5 cmH 2 0 or more during an increase in abdominal pressure of an animal, which comprises: electrostimulating an abdominal muscle, a diaphragm, a nerve controlling the abdominal muscle or a nerve controlling the diaphragm of the animal for not more than 1 second before and after administration of at least one substance or a vehicle to cause an abrupt and transient increase in the abdominal pressure, thereby gradually increasing an intravesical pressure, measuring the leak point pressure during the electrostimulating, comparing the leak point pressure before the administration of the at least one substance or vehicle to the leak point pressure after the administration of the at least one substance or vehicle, further comparing the leak point pressure between a group having been administered the at least one substance and a group having been administered the vehicle, and selecting the substance or vehicle that increases the leak point pressure by about 5 cmH 2 0 or more during the increase in the abdominal pressure, wherein the leak point pressure during the increase in the abdominal pressure of the animal results from a reflex contraction of a pelvic floor muscle and an external urethral sphincter muscle because the spinal cord of the animal has been transected at a level that is higher than that containing neurons involved in a reflex contraction of the pelvic floor muscle and the external urethral sphincter muscle in order to eliminate reflex voiding.