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Collagen
injections can help some Incontinence
Patients when surgery fails
Newswise — Collagen injections can benefit
women who still suffer from stress urinary
incontinence (SUI) even after urethral or
periurethral surgery, a UT Southwestern
Medical Center researcher has found.
“Patients with persistent or recurrent
incontinence often do not wish to undergo
another surgery,” said Dr. Philippe Zimmern,
professor of urology and the study’s lead
author.
“The collagen injection is also a good
alternative for those who cannot afford
recovery time from surgery or are too
medically unfit or frail to undergo a second
surgical intervention.”
The prevalence of SUI is higher in women
than men. While not life threatening, the
condition can socially cripple those
afflicted because of its embarrassing
nature.
Despite surgical advancements for treatment,
existing procedures sometimes fail. Collagen
has been used to treat SUI because its
injection into the tissue surrounding the
urethra tightens the urethral sphincter and
stops urine from leaking.
The study, published in the February edition
of the Journal of Urology, reviewed the
records of patients who underwent
periurethral collagen injection between
January 2000 and December 2006.
Patients were anesthetized briefly while the
collagen was injected. Of the 31 patients,
93 percent (29 women) considered themselves
clinically improved or cured.
Dr. Zimmern and his colleagues also used a
3-D ultrasound to define the location and
volume of collagen remaining in the urethral
wall several months after the original
injection.
In patients who still suffered from SUI, a
second injection was considered when the
ultrasound indicated there was asymmetrical
or low collagen volume.
If the ultrasound showed adequate collagen
levels but the patient still suffered from
SUI, a different therapy was recommended.
“Women need to know they do not have to live
with SUI,” said Dr. Zimmern.
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