Samaritan Now Offering Advanced Treatments for Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction
Published on: October 9, 2025
Watertown, NY – Samaritan Urology is pleased to announce the availability of advanced, minimally invasive and long-lasting treatment for patients suffering from overactive bladder, urinary retention, stress urinary incontinence, and bowel incontinence.
Axonics Therapy® is an advanced treatment option that provides gentle electrical stimulation to the nerves that control the bladder and bowel, restoring normal communication and resulting in an improvement in symptoms. Axonics Therapy is clinically proven to regain bladder and bowel control and provide long-term symptom relief.
The Axonics System offers a long-lived miniaturized neurostimulator that is long-lasting in the body, eliminating the need for repeat surgeries over the patient’s lifetime. The device is implanted into the pelvic area during a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure. Patients are provided with a discreet easy to use Remote Control that can be used to manage their therapy.
Benefits of Axonics Therapy
Clinically proven to help people regain urinary and bowel control2
93% of patients experiencing clinically significant symptom improvements at 2 years post-implant.2
Designed to provide patients with long-lasting relief
Allows patients to undergo Full-Body MRI safely without having to explant the device
High patient satisfaction at 2 years2
94% of patients were satisfied with their therapy2
Bulkamid is a minimally invasive and long-lasting treatment option for bladder leaks caused by stress urinary incontinence (SUI)1.
Bladder leakage is common in women, with 1 in 3 suffering from SUI at some point in their lives.2 SUI tends to develop as women get older, often during or after pregnancy. The leaks are caused by weakness in the pelvic floor, preventing the urethra from closing fully when sudden pressure is put on the bladder. This can allow urine to leak out during normal daily activities such as coughing, laughing, exercising or lifting an object. Women who experience bladder leaks because of SUI can have severely decreased quality of life.
Bulkamid is a soft, water-based gel delivered via a series of small injections into the urethral wall. Once it is injected, the volume of the gel adds bulk to the urethra, supporting the closing mechanism of the urethra and providing better control of urine. Similar to some facial fillers, it remains in the body over time without causing reactions in the surrounding tissue, resulting in durable, long-lasting relief.
Benefits of Bulkamid:
Safe and effective: In a clinical study, 92% of women reported being cured or improved3
Simple procedure: A series of 3 – 4 small injections that takes just 10 – 15 minutes3
Long-lasting symptom relief: Bulkamid is clinically proven to deliver symptom relief out to seven years4
A more appealing treatment option: A majority of women with SUI chose Bulkamid before other surgical treatment options in a 2020 clinical study5
“Millions of Americans struggle with bladder and bowel control problems, which can significantly disrupt their daily lives,” said Dr. Kevin Chandler, urologist at Samaritan Urology. ““With Axonics and Bulkamid, we can now offer effective options that are outpatient, low-risk, and proven to improve quality of life.”
Both treatments are FDA-approved and have shown high levels of patient satisfaction and sustained symptom relief. It offers an alternative to medications, which may have limited effectiveness or unwanted side effects.
Patients experiencing symptoms such as frequent urination, strong urges to urinate, urinary leakage, or accidental bowel leakage are encouraged to speak with their primary care provider or a specialist to find out if they are a candidate treatment.
For more information, visit samaritanhealth.com/urology.
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Axonics References:
Irwin DE, Kopp ZS, Agatep B, Milsom I, Abrams P. Worldwide prevalence estimates of lower urinary tract symptoms, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence and bladder outlet obstruction. BJU Int. 2011;108(7):1132-1138.
Pezzella A, McCrery R, Lane F, et al. Two-year outcomes of the ARTISAN-SNM study for the treatment of urinary urgency incontinence using the Axonics rechargeable sacral neuromodulation system [in press]. Neurourol Urodyn. 2021.
Bulkamid References:
Bulkamid Patient Information Leaflet
Magon, N et al. Stress urinary incontinence: What, when, why, and then what? J Midlife Health. 2011 Jul-Dec; 2(2): 57–64.
Itkonen-Freitas AM et al. Tension Free Vaginal Tape Vs Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection For Primary Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Urol. Vol 203, 372 – 378, 2020.
Brosche et al. Seven-Year Efficacy and Safety Outcomes of Bulkamid for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence. Neurourol Urodyn. Vol 40(1):502-508, 2021.
Dwyer L et al. “Voice Your Choice”: A Study of Women’s Choice of Surgery For Primary Stress Urinary Incontinence. International Urogynecology Journal. 31:769–777, 2020