Abstract
We have developed a system that uses continuous magnetic stimulation for painless non-invasive treatment of urinary incontinence, especially stress incontinence and urge incontinence, without requiring clothes removal. The system consists of a functional continuous magnetic stimulator (FCMS), a saddle-type coil, a reclining chair and a cooler for the coil. Patients sit in the chair and receive continuous magnetic stimulation (CMS) or burst magnetic stimulation (BMS) for 15min once per treatment. BMS is CMS for 60 sec followed by a 30 sec break repeated cyclically. The CMS mode is used for urinary urge incontinence, and the BMS mode for stress incontinence. The stimulation conditions are a capacitor charge of less than 1, 000V and a 720μs pulse width (180μs rise time). The frequency of stimulation is 10Hz for urge incontinence and 20Hz for stress incontinence. BMS at a frequency of 20Hz for 15min was applied to the pelvic floor muscle or the pudendal nerves of two healthy subjects. The intensity was 55%. The urethral pressure of one of the subjects was 20-30cmH2O before applying BMS, 40-50cmH2O during the first 60-sec stimulation, and 20-30cmH2O during the next 30 sec when stimulation was ceased. This indicates that magnetic stimulation caused contraction of the pelvic floor muscle or urethral sphincter (Rhabdosphincter) and that this system is useful for the treatment of urinary incontinence.
