Urinary incontinence - collagen implants

Alternative Names: Intrinsic sphincter deficiency repair; ISD repair

Collagen implants are injections done to help control urine leakage that is caused by a weak urinary sphincter. The sphincter is a muscle that allows your body to hold the urine in the bladder. If your sphincter muscle stops working well you will have urine leakage.

See also: Urinary incontinence

Description of Procedure

Collagen is a strong material found throughout your body in your bones, skin, and other tissues. The doctor will use animal or human collagen to help control your urine leakage.

The doctor injects collagen through a needle into the wall of your urethra, the tube that carries urine from your bladder. The collagen bulks up the urethral tissue and allows it to close up, stopping urine from leaking out of your bladder.

You may have a choice of three types of anesthesia (pain relief) for this procedure:

• Local anesthesia (only the area being worked on will be numb)
• Spinal anesthesia (you will be numb from the waist down)
• General anesthesia (you will be asleep and not able to feel pain)

After you are numb or asleep from your anesthesia, the doctor will put a medical device called a cystoscope into your urethra. The cystoscope allows your doctor to see the area.

Then your doctor passes a needle through your urethra to the sphincter muscle. Collagen is injected into the sphincter through this needle. The doctor can also inject collagen into the tissue next to the sphincter.

Collagen implants are usually done in the hospital, but they also may be done in your doctor's clinic. The procedure takes about 20 to 40 minutes.

Risks of Urinary incontinence - collagen implants

Risks for this procedure are:

• Damage to the urethra or bladder
• Urine leakage may get worse
• Pain where the injection was done
• Allergic reaction to the collagen

Review Date: 1/13/2011
Reviewed By: Louis S. Liou, MD, PhD, Chief of Urology, Cambridge Health Alliance, Visiting Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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