Gastrointestinal Disease ELISA Kits for Gastrointestinal Disorders

Nerve stimulation for IBD

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively termed IBD, are the most common immune-mediated disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. In a substantial proportion of these patients the disease recurs despite ongoing biological or pharmacological preventive treatment. Thus, new therapies that are more effective and have fewer adverse effects than current treatments are needed.

VNS for IBD. Experimental and clinical trials of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) to alleviate IBD have had variable outcomes. VNS (3 hours per day) applied to awake rats with TNBS-induced colitis effectively reduced weight loss, colonic histological score and molecular expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines that were measured in the intestine adjacent to the inflammatory lesion.

SNS for IBD. In a single patient with proctitis, sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) to relieve faecal incontinence improved the state of the rectal mucosa.

Nerve stimulation for colorectal dysfunction

Faecal continence and defecation are under voluntary control in humans, who can, in healthy conditions, decide when to retain or release bowel contents. However, the control is impaired in patients with disorders, including Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, childhood constipation and idiopathic conditions, that are associated with diarrhoea, faecal soiling or constipation. In the search for better treatments for colorectal disorders, a range of bioelectric neuromodulation methods have been investigated.

SNS for faecal incontinence. Pelvic nerve stimulation, generally referred to as sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) because the autonomic outflows (pelvic nerves) from the lower spinal cord run initially in the sacral nerves, has been used for >20 years to treat faecal incontinence.

SARS for constipation. Sacral anterior root stimulation (SARS) is a modification of SNS for treating constipation. In a study in >200 patients with constipation as a consequence of SCI (median age 49 years), SARS increased the frequency of defecation, reduced bowel emptying times and reduced the use of oral laxatives or suppositories and digital evacuation compared with patients pre-implant.

TIENS for constipation. Transcutaneous interferential electrical nerve stimulation (TIENS) is a method in which oscillating currents, generally 1-4 kHz sinusoidal currents, are passed between pairs of surface electrodes.