Urinary Tract, Opens dialog

Surgery Overview

Urethral bulking to treat stress urinary incontinence involves injecting material around the urethra, Opens dialog. This may be done to build up the thickness of the wall of the urethra so it seals tightly when you hold back urine.

Most bulking materials are injected around the urethra just outside the muscle of the urethra at the bladder outlet. Injecting the bulking material may be done through the urethra or through the vagina. Needle placement is guided by the use of a cystoscope inserted into the urethra.

Urethral bulking procedures are usually done under local anesthesia, Opens dialog or with sedation. But they may require a general or regional anesthesia. Using local anesthesia or sedation allows the person to stand up after an injection to find out if continence has been achieved. If continence has not been restored, another injection may be done.

This treatment may help, but the effect may wear off over time. It is common to need more treatments.

The surgery is sometimes used if stress incontinence occurs after prostate surgery.