Injectable implants are injections of material into the urethra to help control urine leakage (urinary incontinence) caused by a weak urinary sphincter. The sphincter is a muscle that allows your body to hold urine in the bladder. If your sphincter muscle stops working well you will have urine leakage.
Alternative Names
Intrinsic sphincter deficiency repair; ISD repair; Injectable bulking agents for stress urinary incontinence
Description
The material that is injected is permanent. Coaptite and Macroplastique are examples of two brands.
The doctor injects material through a needle into the wall of your urethra. This is the tube that carries urine from your bladder. The material bulks up the urethral tissue, causing it to close up. This stops urine from leaking out of your bladder.
You may receive one of the following 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 anesthesia, the doctor puts a medical device called a cystoscope into your urethra. The cystoscope allows your doctor to see the area.
Then the doctor passes a needle through the cystoscope into your urethra. Material is injected into the wall of the urethra or bladder neck through this needle. The doctor can also inject material into the tissue next to the sphincter.
The implant procedure is usually done in the hospital. Or it is done in your doctor's clinic. The procedure takes about 20 to 40 minutes.
