What Is the Procedure to Inject Collagen for Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence, the loss of bladder control, is a condition that affects many people as they age and their sphincter muscles, the muscles that surround the urethra and tighten to keep urine in, lose their strength. There are a number of different new and developing treatments for urinary incontinence, but one treatment that's creating interest is collagen injections.

Options

• The first step to any procedure is to discuss the options with your primary care physician or a specialist. Because there are many causes of urinary incontinence, there are also a number of treatments to consider, and collagen injections may not be right for certain instances of incontinence. The procedure is particularly indicated for men experiencing urinary incontinence after prostate surgery and women with simple leakage. Review a complete medical history with your physician when deciding if this is the correct procedure for you. In preparation for collagen injection, you will need to stop eating or drinking six to 12 hours before your appointment.

Procedure

• Collagen injection is usually performed as an out-patient procedure in the doctor's office or in a hospital, under either a local or general anesthetic. First, your doctor will need to perform a skin test to make sure you do not have an allergy to collagen. Once you are numbed, the doctor will insert a device called a cystoscope into your urethra to view the area. The doctor will then put a needle through the urethra into the sphincter muscle. She will then inject collagen into the sphincter muscle and possibly the tissue around it. The entire procedure takes only 20 to 40 minutes. Sometimes one procedure does not produce much change, and you may need two or three more injections to get results.

Post-procedure

• You should be able to leave the doctor's office right after the procedure. The injection may take up to a month to fully work. The collagen injections may work too well, in which case you may need to use a catheter temporarily (usually for only two or three days). Side effects to collagen injections include bladder or urethra damage, pain at the injection site and allergic reaction. There is also a small chance that your urine leakage may get worse as a result of collagen injections. It is important to discuss all risks and possible side effects thoroughly with your doctor before the procedure.