Rationale:~To date, the standard treatment for overactive bladder (including detrusor hyperreflexia and detrusor overactivity) consists of oral anticholinergic medications that can have troublesome side effects and variable efficacy. What's more, patients failing pharmacological therapy must either live with their malady or undergo open surgery that is irreversible and carries a prolonged convalescence. The fact remains however that treatment for overactive bladder is necessary to help maintain quality of life and prevent upper urinary tract deterioration. In recent years, cystoscopic-guided injection of Botulinum-A toxin has been used as a novel method of addressing detrusor hyperreflexia and overactivity by blocking acetylcholine transmission at the bladder. The obvious benefits of a more targeted therapy notwithstanding, this method requires the use of a cystoscope, needle delivery of the agent through approximately 30 separate injection sites and either regional or topical intravesical anesthesia for peri-operative pain control. Clearly, the identification of less invasive and more cost effective means of delivering the beneficial effects of Botulinum-A toxin to the bladder muscle has the potential to enhance the overall appeal of this treatment method.~Objectives:~The primary objective of this pilot study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of direct instillations of Botulinum-A toxin/DMSO into the bladder via a catheter system as a means of treating women with symptoms of overactive bladder and secondary urinary incontinence. In doing so, we will focus on estimating the percentage of women who experience an improvement in their urinary incontinence symptoms at one month and three months following this novel instillation technique.~Study Design:~We are proposing a single center, Phase II pilot study for this investigation. In this proposal, 25 sterile women between 18-90 years of age with urodynamic evidence of detrusor overactivity, hyperreflexia or symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome who lack evidence of infection and stress incontinence will be offered bladder instillation of Botulinum-A toxin with DMSO as a carrier agent if they have failed anticholinergic medications or cannot tolerate the pharmacological side effects. We will use two validated measurement tools for determining urinary incontinence severity. These measurement tools will be administered to each women at baseline and then again at one month and three-month follow-up time points. Our analysis will also focus on identifying and describing adverse events among these women and estimating the percentage of women that experience a successful improvement in their urinary incontinence symptoms.~Study Duration:~Patients will sign an informed consent and be screened for eligibility. Once determined eligible for the study, each patient will be scheduled for baseline evaluation and instillation of Botox/DMSO. Patients will be then followed up at one month and three months. Patients will be removed from the study if they withdraw consent, experience one of the study stopping criteria (in which case the entire study will stop) or when they complete the final follow-up evaluation at three-months.
The primary objective of this pilot study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of direct instillations of Botulinum-A toxin/DMSO into the bladder via a catheter system as a means of treating women with symptoms of overactive bladder and secondary urinary incontinence. In doing so, we will focus on estimating the percentage of women who experience an improvement in their urinary incontinence symptoms at one month and three months following this novel instillation technique.