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CompletedNCT00943904Updated Oct 6, 2021Results posted

Comparison of Motor and Sensory Response With Interstim Stimulation

An interventional study of Interstim implant for SNS in Overactive Bladder and Urgency-Frequency, sponsored by University of California, Irvine. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-10-06.

Sponsored by University of California, Irvine · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
31
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) implantation is a minimally invasive procedure which has current FDA approval for urinary urge incontinence, urgency-frequency syndrome and non-obstructive urinary retention, and has been available in the United States since 1997. The SNS delivers non-painful, mild electrical pulses to the sacral nerves to modulate the reflexes that influence the bladder, sphincter, and pelvic floor to improve or restore normal voiding function. While SNS has been shown to have efficacy for the aforementioned conditions, the exact mechanism of action is unknown, but it is believed to work primarily through the somatic afferent system in promoting inhibitory reflex pathways to facilitate urine storage. The degree of stimulation is thought to be at a level that only evokes a sensory and not a motor response; however this has not been tested.

Read the detailed description

SNS involves a two-stage procedure. The initial phase is considered the test stimulation period where the patient is allowed to evaluate whether or not the therapy is effective in controlling her symptoms. There are two techniques that exist in performing the test stimulation. The first is an office-based procedure termed the percutaneous nerve evaluation (PNE). This involves placing a temporary electrode wire through the S3 sacral foramen under local anesthesia. The wire is secured with tape and connected to an external generator the patient wears for a trial period of 3-7 days. If patients have at least 50% improvement in their symptoms during the test phase, they are candidates for chronic implant of the lead and implantable pulse generator (IPG). The advantage of the PNE is that it is an incision free procedure performed in the office utilizing local anesthesia, and does not require hospitalization. The disadvantage comes from the fact that the wire is not securely anchored in place, and has the propensity to migrate away from the nerve with physical activity. The second alternative is known as a staged implant. This is typically performed as an outpatient procedure using local anesthesia, intravenous sedation, and intra-operative fluoroscopy. This procedure involves placement of the chronic quadripolar lead wire adjacent to a sacral nerve root (typically S3). The lead is self-anchoring and therefore reduces the potential for migration. The patient goes through a test phase that can last from 7-21 days. The advantage of this technique is that it allows for a longer trial period with minimal risk of lead migration. The chronic wire also has 4 electrodes that can each be trialed as the active electrode to achieve optimal improvement in patients' symptoms. In addition, during the 2nd stage, or final implant the previously placed tined-lead remains in place and is simply connected to the IPG. This eliminates the chance of variable lead placement from the test and implantation phases. The disadvantage of the staged implant is that it requires two visits to the operating room and may be more costly to the health care system. However, in a prospective study comparing the PNE to the staged implant, there was a significantly higher rate of conversion to implant with the staged procedure vs. the PNE (88% vs.46%). In addition, infection rates are not higher with the staged implant when compared to the PNE.

02

Conditions studied

  • Overactive Bladder
  • Urgency-Frequency

Keywords

  • urinary leakage associated with urinary urgency
  • unable to fully empty bladder
  • Comparison: Motor&Sensory Response to Interstim Stimulation
03

In context

Urinary Bladder, Overactive

855 studies on the registry are indexed under Urinary Bladder, Overactive; 125 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 31 is below the median of 72 across 652 interventional studies indexed under Urinary Bladder, Overactive.

Browse Urinary Bladder, Overactive studies →

Lead sponsor

University of California, Irvine is the lead sponsor of 466 studies on the registry; 96 are open to participants now.

Of its 41 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 30 (73%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • You are eligible to participate in this study if:

    • you are at least 18 years of age or older
    • you have the capacity to give informed consent
    • you are currently implanted with a functioning Interstim device for the treatment of urge urinary leakage or overactive bladder

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • You are not eligible to participate in this study if:

    • you do not meet the inclusion criteria and/or are not able to fully empty your bladder
    • you have a history of an underlying neurologic disorder
    • you are currently pregnant, or have an active urinary tract or vaginal infection
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
31 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Interstim stimulation

    Patients who receive the interstim implant in order to evaluate effectiveness of treatment

    Device: Interstim implant for SNS

Interventions

  • DeviceInterstim implant for SNS

    stimulates third sacral nerve root

    Also known as: Sacral nerve Stimulation

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percent of Symptoms With Improvement of Leaks Reported

    Percent change in improvement of symptoms after reprogramming in terms of number of leaks reported. Nocturia refers to leaks that happened while asleep. Incontinence refers to both stress and urge leaks. Urgency refers to only urge leaks. Positive values represent more improvement of symptoms and therefore less leaks. Negative values represent less improvement and therefore more leaks.

    Time frame: 6 months following enrollment

07

Results

Posted Oct 6, 2021

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneInterstim Stimulation
Started31
Completed31
Not completed0

Outcome measures

PrimaryPercent of Symptoms With Improvement of Leaks Reported

Percent change in improvement of symptoms after reprogramming in terms of number of leaks reported. Nocturia refers to leaks that happened while asleep. Incontinence refers to both stress and urge leaks. Urgency refers to only urge leaks. Positive values represent more improvement of symptoms and therefore less leaks. Negative values represent less improvement and therefore more leaks.

Time frame:
6 months following enrollment
Reported as:
Number · Percent change in leaks
Percent of Symptoms With Improvement of Leaks Reported
Percent change in leaksInterstim Stimulation
Nocturia14.4
Incontinence19.8
Urgency18.2

Adverse events

Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Interstim Stimulation—0/31 (0%)0/31 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Interstim Stimulation
Mean65 ± 12
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Interstim Stimulation
Female31
Male0
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Interstim Stimulation
American Indian or Alaska Native0
Asian1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0
Black or African American2
White28
More than one race0
Unknown or Not Reported0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Interstim Stimulation
United States31
08

Study locations

1 site
  • UCI Women's Healthcare
    Orange, California 92868, United States
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 6, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00943904
Lead sponsor
University of California, Irvine
Responsible party
Karen Noblett (Division Director, University of California, Irvine) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 22, 2009
Start date
Jul 2009
Primary completion
Feb 2012
Completion
Feb 2012
Results posted
Oct 6, 2021
Last update
Oct 6, 2021

Study contacts

Karen Noblett, MD
principal investigator · University of California, Irvine

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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