Injectable biomaterials

Abstract

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects a large proportion of middle-aged and elderly women, considerably lowering their quality of life and causing major economic costs to society. Intra-urethral injections with bulking agents are used as an alternative to the traditional surgical procedures. Continuous advances in materials technology made available many urethral bulking agents. In an attempt to improve the long-term outcome, newer and more durable substances have been investigated. The chapter describes different injection techniques performed under general, locoregional, or local anesthesia, according to the surgeon's preference. The complication rates of SUI injection therapy are acceptably low. The technique can be considered a useful option only for patients with comorbidity precluding anaesthesia. Regarding efficacy, most of the published studies analyzed a small number of patients with short follow-up periods. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Milan.