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Incomplete bladder emptying affects most patients
with Bladder Outlet Obstruction (BOO), either
anatomically such as Benign Prostatic
Hyperplasia(BPH), also known as Enlarged Prostate,
or functionally, such as Paruresis, also known as
Shy Bladder Syndrome (SBS), and is often associated
with lower urinary tract symptoms such as Urinary
Hesitancy, Urinary Frequency, and Nocturia
(excessive urination at night).
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) dysfunction,
particularly increased sympathetic nervous activity
at the bladder neck, is associated with both BPH and
SBS.
To measure the efficacy of using a heated
undergarment (FlowPants™) in improving bladder
voiding, a series of clinical trials were conducted.
These trials were conducted at the
Mobley Research Center in Houston, Texas, under
the supervision of
Dr. David F. Mobley.
The results of these studies suggest that skin
heating by a boxer brief-style heated undergarment (FlowPants™)
may help relax bladder neck during voiding and
improve bladder emptying. Such a treatment may
provide a novel, non-invasive, non-pharmacologic,
complementary therapy for patients with Bladder
Outlet Obstruction (BOO).
In summary, FlowPants™ uses the transient,
neuromodulatory effects of comfortable skin heating
to cause relaxation of muscle cells in the bladder
neck, urinary sphincter, and pelvic floor. The
effect of heating can be described as
“anti-sympathetic,” meaning it reduces the activity
of the Sympathetic Nervous System.
The FlowPants™ study was presented at the 2009
annual meeting of the American Urological
Association. Click here for the abstract of this
study as it was presented at the conference.
Additional information regarding this clinical study
is available
here.
www.ClinicalTrial.gov is a service of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency
of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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