Wireless electrostimulation implants enable sphincter neuromuscular improvement toward mixed urinary incontinence

Abstract

Mixed urinary incontinence troubles many patients worldwide but lacks effective therapies. Here, the authors present a wireless-powered soft bioelectronic implant to provide on-demand stimulation of the urethral sphincter, leading to improvement in both urge and stress urinary incontinence. Mixed urinary incontinence, involving concurrent or diagnostically unclear components of urge- and stress-related dysfunction, remains poorly addressed by current therapeutic strategies. State-of-the-art electrostimulation relies primarily on sacral neuromodulation for urge-predominant symptoms, requiring bulky (~3 cm³) and costly (>$10,000) implants, while stress incontinence is largely managed by mechanical or surgical interventions that do not restore sphincter neuromuscular function. Here, we propose wireless-powered implanted programmable electrostimulation of sphincters (WIPES) that bypasses long nerve loops and provides on-site stimulation at the urethral sphincter. The adhesive-patch-like soft implant integrates wireless power receiving and tunable pulse generation, enabling long-term controlled stimulation with reduced size (