Transplanted nerve gives patients ability to void on their own

[Kevin Weilacher]

I was reading our local newspaper a couple of days ago and I came across an article about an 11 year old boy that has Spina Bifida. The article went on to describe how Spina Bifida affects the nerves in a persons spine and how it usually results in varying degrees of paralysis, absence of skin sensation, and poor or absent bowel and/or bladder control. I thought to myself, hmmmm that sounds familiar.

Not knowing much about Spina Bifida, I started researching it and from what I'm understanding now it is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube: incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord. In addition, the vertebrae overlying the open portion of the spinal cord do not fully form and remain unfused and open. This allows the abnormal portion of the spinal cord to stick out through the opening in the bones. I also read that any nerve damage is permanent. Read more about Spina Bifida here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spina_bifida

As far as the nerve aspect of Spina Bifida and TM are concerned, it sounds like there are some similarities.

Anyway, this article I was reading described how this boy that had Spina Bifida was not able to urinate on his own because of the condition. He had to catheter himself. The article went on to tell of a medical procedure that was pioneered in China, that involved transplanting a nerve from a persons leg to an area near or around the bladder.

It went on to say that when the patient needed to void, they would scratch or pinch an area of their leg or buttock and that would signal their bladder to urinate. Over time the bladder function actually got to a point where it basically worked on it's own and also bowel function increased.

I started researching this procedure and I found an excellent article where it also describes where this procedure is also being tested on adults with spinal cord injuries...
Read the whole article here..: https://www.beaumonthospitals.com/news-story-beaumont-results-urina...


I've also written to the study coordinator to see if there is any possibility that this procedure might work on TM.

I think I'd be up for this if it would help fix the bladder and maybe the bowel issue. At least that would lessen some of the daily discomforts.

[Ann]

Kevin,
thanks for this info. I actually grew up half a mile from this hospital! They set my arm when it broke, and put in the ontly stitches I had as a child! This B/B issue is what is keeping me from working as a realtor, since when you gotta go you gotta go, and lots of houses these days don't have the water turned on for the bathrooms. I am going to the cleveland clinic next tuesday to see what if anything else I could be doing to improve the situation. They are rated 3rd in the country for Urology, where I see Beaumont is rated 35th. But like football....ratings don't mean scat!! :) wish me luck!
Mona