Urethral bulking is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI), particularly in women. SUI occurs when physical activities like coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising cause unintentional urine leakage. Urethral bulking works by injecting a material (called a bulking agent) around the urethra to help close it more effectively and prevent urine leakage.
Purpose:
The main goal of urethral bulking is to increase the volume of tissue around the urethra, providing additional support and making the urethra more resistant to the pressure that causes urinary leakage during physical activities. It is commonly used in cases of mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence.
How Urethral Bulking Works:
- The procedure involves injecting a bulking agent into the tissues surrounding the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the bladder.
- The added bulk helps to compress the urethra and improve its closure, preventing urine from leaking out during activities that increase abdominal pressure.
- Common bulking agents include synthetic materials like collagen, silicone particles, or polyacrylamide gel, or sometimes biological materials like autologous fat (taken from the patient’s own body).
