Injectable Bulking Agents in the Treatment of Pediatric Urinary Incontinence

Abstract

Urinary incontinence in children due to a structural issue can be treated with injectable bulking agents. These can be deployed in a minimally invasive manner and have been successfully used to treat patients with dysfunctional bladder necks and urethras. They have also been used as salvage therapy in patients who have failed prior therapy and as a way of treating continent catheterizable conduits which are leaking. The ideal bulking agent should be biocompatible, durable, effective, and with minimal inflammatory response. To date no single agent fits all of these requirements but many are effective. Tissue engineering and autologous biomaterials may offer hopes of superior agents in the future.