Schubert Mehnert
Fakultäten » Medizinische Fakultät » Universitätsklinik Balgrist und Schweizerisches Paraplegikerzentrum » Paraplegikerzentrum » Prof. Dr. Armin Curt » Schubert Mehnert
Current research project
| Title / Titel | Therapeutic effects of early and late onset peripheral neuromodulation on bladder function and autonomic neuroplasticity in spinal cord injury | ||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Background: In patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI), somatic as well as autonomic nerve fibres are injured. Next to loss of motor and sensory function, patients suffer from severe deficiencies of bladder and bowel control (e.g. incontinence) which only slowly recuperate over months. The disturbance of storage and voiding of the bladder is closely linked to the autonomic nervous system and can interfere with other autonomic functions such as cardio-circulatory regulation. This, in turn, can lead to life-threatening autonomic dysregulation including excessive rise of blood pressure. Function and malfunction of these systems strongly influence the course of rehabilitation and thus are essential or limiting for re-entering daily life. Most of the subjects will remain handicapped by bladder and bowel dysfunction after rehabilitation and impaired bladder function limits life quality and life expectancy. There is still no concept for an early rehabilitation of bladder function. Such early rehabilitation may also have beneficial effects on cardio-circulatory regulation. Therefore, an improvement in this field will be of great benefit for SCI subjects. Working Hypothesis: It is assumed that inadequate reorganization of nerve fibres is a reason for spastic bladder dysfunction and vegetative dysregulation and that this can be positively influenced by early neuromodulation. It is hypothesized that bladder dysfunction as well as autonomic dysreflexia, a life-threatening adverse event due to central autonomic disinhibition, will be positively affected. |
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| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | neuromodulation, pudendal nerve stimulation, autonomic dysreflexia, neurogenic detrusor overactivity | ||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
SNF (Programm NFS/NCCR), Foundation |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Mar 2009 to Sep 2012 |