
Overactive bladder confirmed with urodynamics study or Under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), patients (>18 years old) with: If not, the testing lead is simply removed. If the bladder symptoms improve, the implant stage is then carried out.

The testing phase allows patients to have a 1 to 2 week trial period before deciding whether they should have a permanent device implanted in them. SNM is done in 2 stages the first is the Testing Phase and the second is the Implant Phase. The pulses are delivered near the sacral nerve through an insulated wire called a ‘lead’, which is also implanted under the skin.
Location for bladder passmaker generator#
A pulse generator device the size of a stopwatch, is surgically implanted into the buttocks. SNM uses mild electrical pulses to stimulate the sacral nerve located near the tailbone, which controls the bladder and other muscles that manage urinary function. Sacral neuromodulation helps to correct inappropriate, unwanted or even erroneous messages sent along these nerve pathways. Bladder sensations (such as fullness) are also relayed via these nerves to the brain. These sacral nerves control the muscles in the pelvic floor, the bladder and those needed for urinary control.

The brain controls the bladder by sending electrical signals down nerve pathways that run from the brain, to the spinal cord, and through the lower back called the sacral area. Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) or a bladder pacemaker is a treatment used to help thousands of people with bladder control problems.
