Bulking agents

Abstract

Murless, in 1938, first reported on injection of sodium morrhuate around the urethra [1], and since then various materials have been injected for urinary incontinence as an alternative to surgery. Quackels [2] reported paraffin wax in 1955 and Sachse [3] used sclerosing agents in 1963. The initial results were poor and significant complications such as pulmonary emboli and urethral sloughing were seen. Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) paste was first introduced by Berg [4] and then popularized by Politano [5] in the 1970s. Shortliffe et al. [6] published the first report on glutaraldehyde cross-linked collagen and more recently autologous fat injection [7] has been described. N ewer agents, such as silicone microparticles [8] and injectable microballoons, have also been reported [9]. © 2006 Springer-Verlag London Limited.