Periurethral injection of collagen in the treatment of urinary stress incontinence: ultrasonographic appearance.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the ultrasonographic appearance of collagen injected periurethrally to treat urinary stress incontinence.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Transvesical and transvaginal ultrasonography (US) was performed 26 times in 23 patients 3 to 36 months after periurethral injection of collagen to treat symptomatic urinary stress incontinence. The patients ranged in age from 23 to 86 (median 54) years. The appearance, location and volume of the collagen were recorded. Clinical data were also obtained.

RESULTS

Transvesical US demonstrated the collagen in 17 of the patients, whereas transvaginal US demonstrated the collagen in all of them. The collagen collections appeared as circumscribed masses at the bladder base and showed various levels of echogenicity with both techniques. However, in patients with more than one deposit of collagen, the collections had similar echogenicity, and echogenicity increased over time in the two patients who underwent serial imaging. In 21 of the patients, the collagen collections were located posterior or lateral to the urethra, and these patients recorded complete or moderate resolution of incontinence. In two of the patients the collections were exophytic, projecting into the bladder lumen; these patients experienced little improvement in their continence.

CONCLUSIONS

US provides a rapid, noninvasive method of assessing collagen after periurethral injection. Transvaginal US is the best method of visualizing such collections.