Urinary incontinence is a problem affecting many people, predominantly female for anatomical reasons. Perineal electro-stimulation and biofeedback techniques allow to solve a very high percentage of cases, alternatively or in combination with surgical techniques. Different types of urinary incontinence have been recognised and codified: URGE incontinence, STRESS incontinence, MIXED incontinence and OVERFLOW incontinence.
Perineal electrostimulation
The reeducation of urinary incontinence exploit the perineal electro-stimulation to obtain inhibitory action on involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle (detrusor), in case of URGE incontinence (detrusor instability). In the cases of stress incontinence, the perineal electrostimulation allows to develop muscle tone of the pelvic floor and improve the control of continence, during abrupt variation in abdominal pressure (effort, coughing, sneezing …). Alternatively to the vaginal access, the pelvic floor muscles are also accessible via the anus. For this reason, perineal stimulation can be performed with vaginal probes, in adult female patients, or anal probes in the male patients, or when the vaginal access is unsuitable or not recommended.
Perineal biofeedback
Another therapeutic possibility for incontinence is represented by electromyographic (EMG) or manometric biofeedback techniques. The first one consists of detecting the muscular action potential generated by the pelvic floor muscles, the second one consists of detecting the intra-vaginal pressure during the contraction of the involved muscles. The therapy using biofeedback promotes awareness and voluntary control, by the patient, of the pelvic floor, in circumstances that could cause urinary incontinence.
Perineal electro-stimulation and perineal biofeedback are not alternative but complementary therapeutic techniques. Both perineal electrostimulation and perineal biofeedback involve the use of special vaginal or anal probes.
One patient, one probe
It is important that any patient may use his/her own personal perineal probe. Using the same probe on more patients is, more than ever, disadvantageous due to the complicated and not completely safe sterilisation by liquid sterilisers.
The perineal probes PERIPROBE® are intended for personal use onlyand then no sterilisation process is required. Simply clean with tap water and mild soap after each session and the probe is ready for the next treatment.
