Stem cells offer treatment for incontinence [View All]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6608785/

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.

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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.