Camille Yearwood
“Increased awareness through health-related research can help to increase recognition and treatment, which will hopefully lead to better clinical outcomes and improved quality of life for women.”
What is the percentage of failure following treatment for stress urinary incontinence with Bulkamid?
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a leakage of urine with cough, laugh or sneeze. It is very common—with about one in three women suffering from SUI at some point in their lives—and has a profound impact on women's daily function and quality of life.
There are multiple non-surgical and surgical treatment options for SUI. Generally, the surgical options aim to provide added support to the bladder to prevent leakage of urine. These procedures are invasive, carry several potential complications and tend to fail over time. Bulkamid (polyacrylamide hydrogel) is a thick, permanent gel that is injected around the urethra and is another surgical treatment option. It is a day surgery procedure that can be performed under sedation, instead of a general anesthetic. Bulkamid is known to be effective in treating SUI, with a much lower risk of associated complications. Thus, it is an attractive option for women who cannot tolerate an invasive procedure or women who wish to minimize the risks of an incontinence procedure.
The objective of this research is to determine the failure rate for Bulkamid periurethral injections over the long term and how long Bulkamid injections are effective. Secondarily, we aim to study the risk factors associated with the failure of the procedure.
We will review the medical charts for all patients who have undergone periurethral bulking with Bulkamid for SUI at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Royal Alexandra Hospital and Kaye Edmonton Clinic in Edmonton, Alberta between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2019. Data will be analyzed to determine if treatment with Bulkamid is effective, if treatment fails and what factors are associated with failure.
We hope the data collected will enable us to better understand the role that Bulkamid plays in the management of SUI. We will be able to recognize which risk factors are associated with Bulkamid treatment failure, and provide insight to predict treatment outcomes for patients with SUI.
Camille Yearwood was supervised by Erin Kelly and her summer studentship was funded by the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation. She is enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine program.
