Mechanical Design of Soft Stretchable Bladder-Integrated Scaffolds

Neurogenic bladder is a challenging condition caused by neurological disorders, such as spinal cord injury (SCI), leading to impaired bladder function. Bladder-integrated implants are critically needed for restoring function, managing incontinence, or continuous bladder health monitoring. However, developing such neurotechnology remains challenging due to the bladder’s large and dynamic volume changes which often cause mechanical incompatibility, tissue irritation, and limited long-term efficacy. In this work, it is designed and evaluate highly stretchable, biocompatible, and bladder-integrated implantable scaffolds that seamlessly conform to bladder expansion and contraction with negligible physiological impact using a biomimetic in vitro bladder model. This findings show that cross-shaped scaffolds provide superior stretchability with negligible effect on bladder compliance.