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Methodologies for the Restoration of Bladder and Bowel Functions

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Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience
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Synonyms

Neural control of bladder and bowel functions; Neuromodulation for bladder and bowel; Treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction

Definition

Bladder and bowel dysfunctions are frequently caused by neurological disease or injury such as spinal cord injury (SCI). With an annual incidence of 15–40 cases per million worldwide (Sekhon and Fehlings 2001), SCI results in neurogenic bladder or bowel dysfunction in a substantial percentage of cases (Levi et al. 1995). Surveys of quality-of-life measures in those with SCI show that the participants’ highest priorities were restoration of bladder/bowel function, restoration of sexual function, restoration of sensation, and elimination of chronic pain (Anderson 2004). In an earlier study, subjects with SCI indicated that bowel and bladder dysfunctions have a significant effect on their lives, ranking neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction as one of their major life-limiting problems (Hanson and Franklin 1976). Electrical stimulation...

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Correspondence to Meredith McGee .

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McGee, M., Grill, W.M. (2013). Methodologies for the Restoration of Bladder and Bowel Functions. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_589-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_589-5

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6

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