New pSNM system empowers patients in urge urinary incontinence treatment

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Jannah Thompson, MD, FPMRS, from Trinity Health Urogynecology, discussed the health needs being solved by the Spera sacral neuromodulation (pSNM) system.

According to Thompson, the system allows patients to be active participants in their care, increasing their odds of continuing treatment long-term. While the study primarily focused on patients with urge urinary incontinence, results indicated the system may be used in a generalized population.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

What unmet needs does the pSNM system solve?

Jannah Thompson, MD, FPMRS:

Well, I think that the involvement of the patient in their therapy, because they actually have to hold the external stimulator up against them for 2 hours each day, makes them an active and willing participant in their care. Right now, the device we have is sort of a set it and forget it, but what happens is the patient then expects the doctor, or the doctor staff, to really be the sole driver of their symptom improvement, where this allows for the patient to be actively involved. I think some of our biases as doctors might be that a patient wouldn't want to do this, right? That they wouldn't want to have to do something 2 hours each day. But what we found is that a significant portion of the patients, 90% of them, continued to maintain daily stimulation of their therapy out 6 months, and they actually in making that behavior change where they're actually involved in their therapy may often lead these patients to be committed to trying other things to improve their symptoms. Maybe reducing acids, maybe working on constipation, maybe doing their physical therapy exercises, because they can see on a regular basis, that stimulation of this small wire inside actually produces less leakage and the results they want, thereby creating buy in and commitment on the patient's side, and also just having them an active and willing participant in their care.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

What patient profile does this treatment apply to?

Thompson:

Well, the patient profile was actually broader than what we've seen in some of these other studies with synchrony modulation in that it was women that were brought into the study, but they could have mixed incontinence, mixed incontinence meaning they could have urge and stress incontinence, or just urge incontinence. The study was looking at specifically urge incontinence episodes, and that's what we were targeting the therapy for. But what it allowed for is a much broader categorization of women that leak, which can make it more generalizable to the population that we see. And so, we're excited about this therapy that's now been submitted to the FDA for approval, and hopefully we will see that soon.

This video is part 2 of a 2-part series. Click here for part 1.

Reference

Padron O. Treatment of OAB symptoms using Neuspera's ultra-minaturized system: 6-month results of the sans-UUI phase 2 study. Presented at: Society of Urodynamics Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction. Rancho Mirage, California. February 26-March 1, 2025.