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This information is designed to provide you with helpful educational information but is for information purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used as an alternative to speaking with your doctor. No representation is made that the information provided is current, complete, or accurate. Medtronic does not assume any responsibility for persons relying on the information provided. Be sure to discuss questions specific to your health and treatments with a healthcare professional. For more information please speak to your healthcare professional.
This information is designed to provide you with helpful educational information but is for information purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used as an alternative to speaking with your doctor. No representation is made that the information provided is current, complete, or accurate. Medtronic does not assume any responsibility for persons relying on the information provided. Be sure to discuss questions specific to your health and treatments with a healthcare professional. For more information please speak to your healthcare professional.
Refer to technical manual and Instruction for Use (IFU) for complete list of indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions.
You’re not alone. You’re taking the right steps to get the relief you seek, but it’s only natural to want to know every detail before getting started. You can find everything you need to know, right here.
Talking about your symptoms can be challenging. Our Doctor Discussion Guide makes it easier.
Download the GuideA: This therapy is an implantable device that targets the nerves control your bowel to help it function normally again.
A: Medtronic Bowel Control Therapy delivered by the InterStim™ system restores* bowel function by gently stimulating the sacral nerves.
A: Doctors believe that bowel control problems are caused by miscommunication between the brain and the sacral nerves, which are located in the lower spine and control the bowel and related muscles.1
A: With this therapy, you may experience fewer accidents and more confidence as you get back to the activities you enjoy.2
A: Choosing to have an InterStim system implanted has risks similar to any surgical procedure, including swelling, bruising, bleeding, and infection. Talk with your doctor about ways to minimise these risks.
A: No. It can be effective, but it’s not a cure. If the neurostimulator is turned off or removed, symptoms can return.
A: This therapy has five-year clinical data demonstrating sustained, long-term results and quality of life improvements for people with fecal incontinence.†,2 Your experience may be different.
A: Most people describe it as a slight pulling, tingling, or fluttering sensation in the pelvic area. It should not be painful.
A: You can try it before you decide, and it’s reversible if you change your mind later.
A: Getting an MRI head scan may be possible under specific conditions.
A: Since its approval in 1997, the InterStim system has been used to treat bladder and bowel control problems in hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Record your symptoms to help your doctor understand your symptoms.
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Starting the conversation can be hard. This guide can help you talk to your doctor more easily.
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The Bowel care pathway helps you understand all of the treatment options available for bowel control problems.
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Fill in this questionnaire to identify your bladder control symptoms, and discuss the results with your doctor to learn more.
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Discover more about your bowel control options with your healthcare professional with this Bowel Control Patient education brochure.
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Bowel control problems affect millions of people. But relief is closer than you think.
SEE THE STEPSSpeak with a doctor in your community who can help you find the right treatment.
FIND A SPECIALISTWith the InterStim™ system, restored bowel function is defined as 50% or greater reduction in chronic fecal incontinence episodes.
The most common adverse events experienced during clinical studies included pain at implant sites, new pain, lead migration, infection, technical or device problems, adverse change in bowel or voiding function, and undesirable stimulation or sensations. Any of these may require additional surgery or cause return of symptoms.
Patton V, Wiklendt L, et al. The effect of sacral nerve stimulation on distal colonic motility in patients with fecal incontinence. Br J Surg. 2013 Jun;100(7):959-68.
Hull T, Giese C, Wexner SD, et al. Long-term Durability of Sacral Nerve Stimulation Therapy for Chronic Fecal Incontinence. Dis Colon Rectum. 2013; 56(2):234-45.