The bladder and urethra are supported by muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues around the base of the bladder. This support prevents the leakage of urine, along with the watertight seal provided by the urethra. As a result of pregnancy, childbirth, and aging, or damage by scarring from surgery or radiotherapy, these structures may become damaged or weakened, thus causing stress incontinence, meaning an involuntary loss of urine that occurs during physical activity such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise.
Collagen periurethral injection is a procedure in which collagen is injected around the urethra and bladder neck as a treatment for stress incontinence in women.
The collagen periurethral injection procedure is quick, and usually over within 15-20 minutes. No incisions are made, meaning that it can be carried out using a local anesthetic or a regional anesthetic such as an epidural. The surgeon uses a fine fiber-optic cystoscope to examine the inside of the urethra and bladder, and then inserts a fine needle to inject the collagen. Usually three injections are made around the urethra. The exact amount of collagen used depends on how much closure the urethra requires.
After Treatment You can go home the same day, recovery from procedure is very quick
Results Periurethral injection is so quick and easy with very few complications, it would appear to be an ideal treatment for stress incontinence. However, there is a problem with the longer-term results. Within three months after injection, good results are reported with at least 80% of women cured or improved. However, after two years, less than half of these women will still be cured. Longer-term studies are still being performed, but it is likely that the results will keep becoming poorer as time goes by. This is due to the injected collagen dispersing away from the urethra over time.
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