Shirvan, M., Alamdari, D., Mahboub, M., Ghanadi, A., Rahimi, H. and Seifalian, A. (2012). A novel cell therapy for stress urinary incontinence, short-term outcome. Neurourology and Urodynamics, 32(4), pp.377-382.
Keywords: Peripheral blood; platelets; stem cells; stress urinary incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the unintentional loss of urine that occurs due to movements or activities that increase pressure on the bladder. Activities that may cause unintentional urine loss may include coughing, sneezing or physical exertion. SUI may occur in as many as one in five women, and risk increases with age, pregnancy and obesity. There are a number of surgical options for women experiencing SUI but most have relatively low cure rates.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an innovative treatment that harnesses the body’s natural growth factors to promote healing and regeneration of damaged tissue. Platelets found in your blood release growth factors that reduce inflammation and rebuild tissues that may be damaged due to stress, during a PRP procedure; your platelets are concentrated and injected into targeted areas to increase the restorative power of the platelets.
A 2012 study treated nine patients that had not responded to conventional therapy with PRP. After a single injection, follow ups were made 1, 3 and 6 months after the treatment. All nine patients showed no side effects from the treatment, and eight of nine patients were completely cured of SUI, whilst one patient had a marked improvement. Patients in this study treated for SUI with PRP had marked improvements by one month, with no side effects and without the requirement of surgery or the implantation of foreign materials.