Urethral Bulking Agent

Urethral Bulking Agent

In this procedure, a long acting or permanent paste-like substance is injected into the muscular wall of the urethra using a cystoscope. This injection causes the tube of the urethral to narrow which results in less urine leakage. Although the rate of continence is less after this procedure when compared to other surgeries for stress urinary incontinence (SUI), this procedure:

• Is much less invasive.
• Does not require incisions.
• Has a low complication rate and can be performed in an office or on an outpatient basis.
• Doctors frequently recommend this procedure for women in poor health, for whom more invasive surgery or anesthesia is not safe; in women with intrinsic sphincteric deficiency; or for those women who continue to leak after other incontinence surgery.

Urethral bulking agents include:

• Autologous fat
• Calcium hydroxylapatite (Coaptite)
• Carbon beads (Durasphere)
• Polydimethylsiloxane (Macroplastique)