Stem cells offer treatment for incontinence

November 29, 2004

Transplant procedure resolves urinary leakage, researchers say

Updated: 1:56 p.m. ET Nov. 29, 2004

Urinary incontinence in women can be corrected by transplanting the

patient's own muscle-derived stem cells into the urethra to strengthen

it, scientists said Monday.

The outpatient procedure takes only 15 to 20 minutes and many patients

have no leakage within 24 hours, said the report from the Medical

University of Innsbruck, Austria.

" We believe we have developed a long-lasting and effective treatment

that is especially promising because it is generated from the patient's

own body, " said Ferdinand Frauscher, associate professor of radiology at

the school.

" Urinary incontinence is a major problem for women, and for an

increasing number of men, " he added in a report released at the annual

meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

He said the stem cells are removed from a patient's arm, cultured in a

lab for six weeks and then injected into the wall of the urethra and

into the sphincter muscle, restoring muscle mass and contractility.

About 15 million people around the world, primarily women, suffer from

stress incontinence in which urine leakage occurs when an individual

exercises, coughs, sneezes, laughs or lifts heavy objects, the report

said.

The procedure was successfully done on 20 women aged 36 to 84, the

report said.

" These are very intelligent cells, " Frauscher said. " Not only do they

stay where they are injected, but also they quickly form new muscle

tissue and when the muscle mass reaches the appropriate size, the cell

growth ceases automatically. "

He said a key to the procedure is the use of three-dimensional

ultrasound which allows doctors to see exactly where the cells must be

placed to make the correction needed.

He added that the cost of the stem cell procedure was comparable to two

popular treatments for incontinence -- the long term purchase of adult

diapers or collagen injections, which may not be effective for more than

a year.

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