Stress Incontinence Procedures

Stress incontinence procedures to deal with stress incontinence depend on the severity of your condition as well as your personal preferences. Bladder biofeed back training, bladder training and pelvic floor exercises, such as Kegel exercises to repeatedly constrict and relax pelvic muscles, can help reduce your stress incontinence.

Stress incontinence procedures may also include radio frequency therapy and microwave thermo therapy. Sacral nerve stimulation stimulates nerves in the lower back through a device, such as an Interstim implant. This interstim therapy sends electrical pulses to the sacral nerves that activate or relax the muscles of the bladder, sphincter and pelvic floor.

Men who have an enlarged prostate may experience overflow incontinence because the prostate gland could be constricting the urethra and affecting urine flow. You can undergo a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) to have the part of the prostate gland that is obstructing the urethra removed. Another procedure, a transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP), is similar but is used on only slightly enlarged prostate glands. Another treatment option is a procedure involving urethra bulking, in which collagen or other bulking agents are injected around the urethra to build up the urethra near the opening of the bladder. This can temporarily relieve your symptoms and may need to be repeated.

Patients who have cancer bladder disease may have cysts or tumors that are blocking urine flow, and thus cause incontinence. Bladder tumor removal or a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) can relieve this obstruction. For some, it is necessary to conduct a partial cystectomy, or partial bladder removal. For others, a complete bladder removal is necessary. Urinary diversion, or rerouting urine flow, can help prevent incontinence. This can be achieved through an ileal conduit (or alternate route for urine flow) and a stoma, or the insertion of a neobladder (a reconstructed bladder).