Bulking agent therapy is used for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.  Stress incontinence is the involuntary loss or urine during physical activities such as walking, standing from a seated position, sitting from a standing position, running, coughing, sneezing, laughing.  When a person is diagnosed with stress incontinence the spincter (round muscle used to keep urine in the bladder) becomes weak allowing urine to leak out during activities.  The injectable is used to "bulk up" or fill out the tissues surrounding the urethra to provide additional support during physical activities.

The bulking agent is a material called calcium hydroxylaptite which is a natural component of your teeth and bones.  It is delivered in a water base gel through a cystoscope.   The procedure takes about 30 minutes and is performed in the physician's office.

Evaluation and Treatment:  Your physician will perform a physical exam.   Diagnostic tests will include urodynamics, urinalysis, bladder scan and possibly a voiding diary.    Your physician may prescribe medication and schedule you for pelvic floor rehabilitation therapy as an adjunct therapy.

Contraindications of bulking agent therapy include:  active urinary tract infection.  On the day your treatment is scheduled a urinalysis will be performed to make sure you are free of infection prior to the medication being injected.

Risks and Benefits:  With every medical procedure comes risks as well as benefits.  The risks include:   retention (41%) blood in the urine (20%), painful urination(15%), urinary tract infection(8%), urgency(8%), frequent urination (7%), exposed bulking material (1%).

The benefits include:  lessens the amount of urine leakage, you may become dry.  Results of a study showed 63% of patients had improvement at 12 months following the treatment;   34% of patients were dry.  10% became worse.

Insurance covers this procedure.