The impact of sacral root anatomy on selective electrical stimulation for bladder evacuation

Although different structures have been studied with electrostimulation to elicit bladder evacuation, only the sacral root remains feasible for clinical application at present. However, the resultant concomitant contractions of the bladder and sphincteric muscles have been the principal problem over the last few decades. Attempts to identify fibers within the sacral ventral root that innervate the detrusor predominantly have been made by microsurgery alone or in combination with advanced electrical blocking techniques. This article evaluates our past and present efforts to achieve voiding in light of the mixed nature of sacral root anatomy.