HJAR Nov/Dec 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2020 53 Taylor Moore, MD, joined Arkansas Urology in 2014. A Little Rock native, Moore completed residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is a member of the Ameri- can Urologic Association and the American Medical Association and recently presented an abstract for the American Urological As- sociation’s South Central Section. into bladder muscles to help to keep the bladder from contracting too often. Finally, for more complex cases, we rec- ommend nerve stimulation. Neuromodula- tion therapy is a group of treatments that deliver electrical pulses to nerves to change how they work within your body. Another option is sacral nerve therapy that is administered by implanting a “blad- der pacemaker” (InterStim). This device stops the nerve signals that can cause OAB altogether. During the procedure, a neuro- stimulator device is inserted under the skin near a nerve that affects bladder function, and then sends electrical pulses to the sacral nerve. The sacral nerve affects bladder con- trol muscles, and stimulation of this nerve can help improve overactive bladder. When these nerves do not communicate correctly, the nerves cannot communicate with the bladder. Benefits of InterStim work by singling out the nerves that help you control blad- der function and targeting them with the treatment. After the device is implanted, it can run between 5-10 years. Another advanced therapy we use isAxo- nics. Axonics therapy is a proven solution for not only treating symptoms of overactive bladder but also bowel (fecal) incontinence and urinary retention. This solution provides gentle stimulation to the nerves that control the bladder and bowel, which can restore normal control and result in symptom im- provement. Before we decide onAxonics for our patients, we require patients to undergo a short period of therapy using a temporary system. The evaluation period allows pa- tients to experience the level of symptom re- lief the therapy may provide before commit- ting to long-term therapy. If Axonics is right for them, then it will require an outpatient Taylor Moore, MD Arkansas Urology procedure where the miniaturizedAxonics implant is placed just beneath the skin in the upper part of the buttock. Even though these are the advanced op- tions of treatment, both are minimally in- vasive outpatient procedures. At Arkansas Urology, our commitment to patients is find- ing the treatment that is right for them. With approximately 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women having OAB symptoms, this is a very common but very treatable condition. If a patient is not seeing relief with behavior therapies or medication and would like to explore other options, there are more advanced treatment options available. n “ Patients need to understand that overactive bladder (OAB) can be feeling a strong urge to go frequently, leaking urine, frequent urination and waking up at night frequently to urinate. ˮ