Principal Investigator

Creasey, Graham, M.D.

"Breaking your neck or back not only causes paralysis and loss of feeling, it also causes loss of bladder, bowel and sexual function, resulting in incontinence, infection, kidney damage, and social and sexual limitations. We have introduced into the USA an FES system for emptying the bladder, improving bowel function and producing erection of the penis after spinal cord injury. The system was originally developed by the Medical Council for Great Britain. It produces a great reduction in urinary tract infection and reduces the need for catheters. It also reduces constipation and the time spent on bowel care. It requires surgical implantation and is then operated by a remote control when a person wants to empty their bladder. It is usually (but not always) combined with rhizotomy (cutting) of the sensory nerves from the bladder, which protects the kidneys, reduces incontinence and reduces the need for medications and urine collection appliances. It greatly improves quality of life and has been shown to save on the costs of bladder and bowel care in the long term. We are also pursuing fundamental research into electrical control of the bladder and bowel, with the intention of using less invasive surgery and avoiding cutting any nerves. If successful, these techniques may be applied to control of many other nerves and organs."

Professional Affiliations

• Principal Investigator, Cleveland FES Center
• Associate Professor, Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• Research Physician, Dept. of VA Medical Center Louis Stokes, Cleveland, Ohio
• Attending Physician, Spinal Cord Injury Unit, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Publications (select)

• 25. Wenzel BJ, Boggs JW, Gustafson KJ, Creasey GH, Grill WM: Detection of neurogenic bladder contractions from the activity of the external anal sphincter cat and human. Neurourol Urodyn, 25(2):140-147, 2006.
• Fajardo NR, Pasiliao RV, Modeste-Duncan R, Creasey GH, Bauman WA, Korsten MA. Decreased colonic motility in persons with chronic spinal cord injury, Am J Gastroenterol, 98(1):128-34, 2003.
• Gustafson KJ, Creasey GH, Grill WM. A catheter based method to activate urethral sensory nerve fibers, Journal of Urology, 170(1):126-129, 2003.
• Lee YH, Creasey GH, Lim H, Song J, Song K, Kim J. Detrusor and blood pressure responses to dorsal penile nerve stimulation during hyperreflexic contraction of the bladder in patients with cervical cord injury, Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 84(1):136-40, 2003.
• Bhadra N, Grunewald V, Creasey GH, Mortimer JT. Selective suppression of sphincter activation during sacral root stimulation, Neurourology and Urodynamice, 21:55-64, 2002.
• Chae J, Triolo RJ, Kilgore KL, Creasey GH, DiMarco A. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation in spinal cord injury, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins 360-388, 2002.
• Jezernik S, Craggs M, Grill WM, Creasey GH, Rijkhoff NJM. Electrical stimulation for treatment of bladder dysfunction: current status and future possibilities, Neurological Research, 24:413-430, 2002.
• Lee YH, Creasey GH. Self-controlled dorsal penile nerve stimulation to inhibit bladder hyper-reflexia in incomplete spinal cord injury: A case report, Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 83:273-7, 2002.

Research Programs

• Electrical Treatment of Reflex Incontinence, Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service

Contact Information

Donna Tamulewicz - 216-778-5807

Emails: dvt@case.edu, ghc@case.edu