Non-invasive treatment system for urinary incontinence using continuous magnetic stimulation

Electrical stimulation therapy is a proven effective treatment for urinary incontinence. But it has some inconvenience and discomfort. The authors have devised a non-invasive treatment system for urinary incontinence with no pain using continuous magnetic stimulation (CMS). The system is composed of a continuous magnetic stimulator and a magnetic coil with a cooler, and can be used with the 2 kW AC power line of most hospitals. The authors confirmed that the system is able to run stably for 20 minutes. In experiments with dogs, the urethral pressure increased when the circumference of the perineum received CMS with 720 /spl mu/s pulse width (180 /spl mu/s risetime), 10 Hz frequency and about 520 V capacitor charge voltage. Also, the bladder pressure decreased when the pudendal nerves received CMS with the same conditions. These results suggest that magnetic stimulation is effective as a stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence therapy.