Current Status of Tissue Engineering in Stress Urinary Incontinence

Over 200 million people worldwide suffer from incontinence, which is a condition associated with a social impact and a reduced quality of life. The results of pharmacotherapy for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) have been disappointing. The potential of stem cell (SC) therapy for the regenerative repair of a deficient sphincter is currently at the forefront of incontinence research. As an alternative, injection of autologous adult SCs into the periurethral area provides a less-invasive treatment alternative compared with traditional surgical intervention. Cells used in the treatment of SUI include muscle- and adipose-derived SCs. In animal studies, injection of intraurethral SCs has improved sphincter function. Short-term clinical results demonstrate that SUI can effectively be treated with autologous SCs. The present data the conclusion that this therapeutic concept represents an elegant and minimally invasive modality for treating SUI.