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InterStim® – Treatment for Faecal Incontinence

Incontinence problems affects millions of Australians. If you’re one of them, you know how these conditions, like over-active bladder (OAB), faecal incontinence (involuntary loss of stool), and urinary retention can interrupt your life.
InterStim® – Treatment for Faecal Incontinence

You may have tried changing your diet. Or Kegal exercises, physical therapy and biofeedback. Or medications with unpleasant side effects. But the results just aren’t what you hoped.
Communication between your brain and bowel is critical. That’s why conventional treatments may not produce the results you want- they don’t target the miscommunication between your bowel and brain.

Unlike conventional treatments, Medtronic Bladder and Bowel Control Therapies delivered by the InterStim system uses gentle nerve stimulation to correct the bladder/bowel-brain communication pathway and restore bladder and bowel function.

Medtronic Bladder and Bowel Control Therapy delivered by the InterStim system restore bladder and bowel function by gently stimulating the sacral nerves. It’s sometimes called sacral neuromodulation (SNM). With this therapy, you may experience fewer trips to the bathroom, fewer accidents and more confidence as you get back to the activities you enjoy.

Unlike conventional treatments, Medtronic Bladder and Bowel Control Therapies delivered by the InterStim system uses gentle nerve stimulation to correct the bladder/bowel-brain communication pathway and restore bladder and bowel function.

Medtronic Bladder and Bowel Control Therapy delivered by the InterStim system restore bladder and bowel function by gently stimulating the sacral nerves. It’s sometimes called sacral neuromodulation (SNM). With this therapy, you may experience fewer trips to the bathroom, fewer accidents and more confidence as you get back to the activities you enjoy.

InterStim is safe, TGA and minimally invasive. It’s been helping people improve their quality of life for more than 20 years.

  • 84% satisfaction among those who use it
  • Greater improvements in quality of life compared to medications
  • 89% of people achieve success at 5 years with InterStim therapy
  • 36% of people achieve complete continence at 5 years with In InterStim therapy

Unlike other bladder and bowel control therapies, InterStim is the only therapy that allows you to try it first. It’s called an evaluation- like a test run, not a long-term commitment.

Here’s how it works

  • The simple evaluation starts as day procedure
  • A lead (thin wire) is placed in your upper buttock along the nerves that control your bladder
  • The lead attaches to a small external device worn discreetly under your clothes
  • Stop, start or adjust the therapy with a Samsung controller
  • Go about most of your normal activities for 7 days
  • Track your symptoms in a diary to see if they improve

After the end of your trial, talk with our team about the results. Did it feel successful? Did you see symptom improvement? Together, we will decide if the long-term therapy is the right choice. If it is, we can replace the external device with an implantable device called a neurostimulator during a short, out-patient procedure.

What is InterStim™ II?

The recharge-free InterStim™ II system gives patients freedom from a recharging routine, the hassle of recharging components, and a reminder they have a disease. InterStim™ II is simple, convenient, low maintenance. InterStim II now allows full-body 1.5 and 3 Tesla MRI conditional scans with SureScanTM MRI technology.
InterStim™ II

What is InterStim™ Micro?

The TGA recently approved the InterStim™ Micro neurostimulator, the market’s smallest and fastest rechargeable device to deliver sacral neuromodulation (SNM) therapy. It offers a smaller size compared to InterStim II and a longer battery life. InterStim Micro also allows full-body 1.5 and 3 Tesla MRI conditional scans with SureScanTM MRI technology.
InterStim™ Micro

What are the benefits of the new InterStim™ systems for patients with OAB or FI?

  • The recharge-free InterStim II system is simple and convenient with lower maintenance and time commitments. This specific system gives patients the freedom from a recharging routine, the hassle of recharging components, and a reminder they have a disease.
  • The InterStim Micro rechargeable system is the smallest device on the market with the fastest rechargeability and is stronger than other manufacturers’ batteries. It features proprietary Overdrive™ battery technology — a battery with virtually no loss in capacity over time.[i] The new battery technology allows patients to choose how and when they want to charge their device — from as often as once a week, or as infrequent as once per month, depending on the patient’s preference and device settings. There is no battery fade at 15 years* and patients can restart their therapy after extended breaks in time.
  • Visit https://www.medtronic.com/au-en/patients/treatments-therapies/bowel-control/considering-therapy.html to learn more

FAQs

This therapy targets the nerves that control your bladder and bowel to help it function normally again.
This therapy targets the nerves that control your bladder and bowel to help it function normally again.
Medtronic Bladder and Bowel Control Therapy delivered by the InterStim™ system restores bladder and bowel function by gently stimulating the sacral nerves.
It’s thought that bladder and bowel control problems are caused by miscommunication between the brain and the sacral nerves, which control the bladder and bowel and muscles involved in urination.
With this therapy, you may experience fewer trips to the bathroom, fewer accidents, and more confidence as you get back to the activities you enjoy.
Implanting an InterStim system has risks similar to any surgical procedure, including swelling, bruising, bleeding, and infection. Talk with your doctor about ways to minimize these risks.
It is the only advanced therapy for OAB that is clinically superior to oral medication. And it’s the only therapy that lets you try it first during an evaluation.
This therapy significantly reduced symptoms of OAB and non-obstructive urinary retention in people treated for 5 years. Your experience may be different.
No. It can be effective, but it’s not a cure. If the neurostimulator is turned off or removed, symptoms can return.
Most people describe it as a slight tingling, or fluttering sensation in the pelvic area. It should not be painful. Stimulation settings can be adjusted, and sensations will vary from person to person.
Getting a full-body MRI scan may be possible under specific conditions. For more information, talk with your doctor.
Medicare and most private insurance companies cover this therapy. Talk with our team to learn more about your insurance coverage.
    It is an TGA-approved therapy doctors have used to treat bladder and bowel control problems for nearly 20 years. More than 325,000 people have received this therapy.

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Note: we do not offer or accept email appointments.