More Than Just a Cosmetic Procedure — ‘Tummy Tuck’ Reduces Back Pain and Incontinence

In addition to restoring the pre-pregnancy shape of the abdomen, abdominoplasty (‘tummy tuck’) surgery with muscle repair can improve back pain and urinary incontinence after childbearing, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Although abdominoplasty is classified as a cosmetic procedure, it also improves two of the most common physical complaints experienced by women after labor and delivery. According to the new research “Abdominoplasty has a proven functional benefit as well as a cosmetic benefit,” comments lead author D. Alastair Taylor, FRACS, of The CAPS Clinic in Deakin, Australia. Read more.

Source: EurekAlert, February 28, 2018

surgeons perform pelvic organ prolapse surgery

Australia Bans Use of Vaginal Mesh Implants for Prolapse

An Australian watchdog has banned the use of controversial vaginal mesh implants for prolapse after a review found “the benefits do not outweigh the risks these products pose to patients”. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has decided to remove the use of mesh products in the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and single incision mini-slings which is used to treat urinary incontinence. This move follows the news that NICE, the health watchdog in the UK, will recommend that mesh should be banned as a routine treatment for prolapse, a condition when organs such as the vagina, uterus or bowel fall down or slip out of place. The draft guidance, seen by Sky News and due to be published next month, states that mesh implants for prolapse should now only be used for research purposes. It does not affect the use of mesh for incontinence which accounts for the majority of operations. Read more.

Source: Sky News, November 29, 2017

First Patient in Malaysia Successfully Treated with Urolastic™

Urogyn B.V. and Leader Biomedical announce the first patient treated in Malaysia with Urolastic™– an innovative Urinary Stress Incontinence product that is exclusively offered by Leader Biomedical in India and APAC. We are excited to announce that we have successfully introduced Urolastic™ in Malaysia and treated a female patient suffering from severe Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). The patient suffered from the condition, as a result of birth deficiencies and was diagnosed with a short, yet very wide urethra. After previously undergoing a procedure using a bulking agent, the patient went down from using eight pads a day, to five pads a day. Treatment with Urolastic™ earlier this month by Dr. Warren Lo Hwa Loon at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur has improved the patient’s condition, as a result of which she now only uses one pad a day, thus significantly improving her quality of life. Stress Urinary Incontinence is a disease affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Traditionally, SUI is treated with either a sling or injection of a bulking agent, where a sling procedure is an invasive procedure for the patient and the traditional bulking agents are expensive, as they are only effective for a short period and need to be repeated regularly. Read more.

Source: OpenPR, September 26, 2017

GTx Announces Positive Results from Enobosarm Phase 2 Clinical Trial

GTx, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) today announced top-line clinical trial results demonstrating that a daily dose of enobosarm 3 mg (GTx-024) substantially improved stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women, as well as related quality of life measurements. In this open-label clinical trial, all 17 patients completing 12 weeks of treatment saw a clinically significant reduction (50 percent or greater) in stress leaks per day, compared to baseline. Mean stress leaks decreased by 83 percent from baseline over 12 weeks, and the reductions in daily stress leaks following completion of treatment have been sustained as patients are being followed for up to 7 months post-treatment to assess the durability of treatment effect. No patient has relapsed to her baseline levels. These results were presented at the International Continence Society (ICS) Annual Meeting currently being held in Florence, Italy from September 12-15, 2017. Read more.

Source: Business Wire, September 13, 2017

State-backed Fund Boosts Monroe Company’s Elitone Medical Device

A Connecticut venture fund is backing a Monroe startup that is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval of a device to help alleviate a urological disorder affecting millions of women. In April, Newtown residents Gloria and Eric Kolb won U.S. patent protection on Monroe-based Elidah’s Elitone device to help women with stress urinary incontinence, with the Elitone device emitting mild electric impulses to stimulate and strengthen pelvic muscles. Women diagnosed with the condition can suffer urinary leakage during physical exertion or while coughing or sneezing. To date, physicians have recommended solutions ranging from exercises to surgical implants called pelvic meshes, with thousands of lawsuits having been filed against three manufacturers of the devices the past few years after women suffered adverse reactions. Read more.

Source: ctpost, August 17, 2017

Uromedica Wins CMS Coverage for ProAct Continence Therapy Device

Uromedica said today it won a reimbursement code from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services for its ProAct adjustable continence therapy for men, and that it launched the device in the US. The ProAct system has FDA approval and is indicated for treating adult men with stress incontinence from intrinsic sphincter deficiency of at least 12 months following radical prostatectomy or TURP who have failed ot respond to conservative therapy, the Plymouth, Minn.-based company said. “The issuance of these codes will allow Uromedica to deliver its safe and effective therapy to improve the quality of life for men struggling with Stress Urinary Incontinence,” prez & CEO Tim Cook said in a press release. Read more.

Source: MassDevice Today, July 12, 2017

Consider Acupuncture for Incontinence

Acupuncture, a 3,000-year-old healing technique, received mixed reviews in two new studies from China — one focusing on incontinence and the other on a cause of female infertility. A research team found acupuncture did improve symptoms of stress incontinence — an involuntarily loss of urine, such as when a woman sneezes or coughs. But in a separate study, another team of researchers determined that acupuncture did not help women who were infertile because of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Women with PCOS have a hormonal imbalance that keeps them from releasing an egg (ovulating) during the menstrual cycle. Read more.

Source: HealthDay News, June 27, 2017

GTx Announces Preliminary Results with Enobosarm

GTx, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) today announced release of preliminary clinical data from its ongoing, open-label, Phase 2 clinical trial of enobosarm 3 mg (GTx-024) in postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). An abstract entitled “Kegels In A Bottle”: Preliminary Results Of A Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (GTx-024) For The Treatment Of SUI In Post-Menopausal Women, summarizing clinical data from the first seven patients completing 12 weeks of treatment with enobosarm, is now available on the International Continence Society’s website. This proof-of-concept clinical trial is the first of its kind to evaluate an orally-administered selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) for SUI. Read more.

Source: BusinessWire, June 12, 2017

Low Estrogen May Contribute to Incontinence in Women

Significantly lower levels of oestrogen in peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women could increase their risk of stress urinary incontinence, according to Austrian researchers. They noted that sex steroid levels changed markedly during menopause, and oestrogen deficiency after menopause caused changes within the urogenital tract. Their study included 47 women with stress urinary incontinence who were matched with 47 controls. The findings suggested that low levels of circulating sex steroids might have a negative impact on the function of the lower urinary tract and on mechanisms involved with continence. Read more.

Nursing Times, June 8, 2017

Acupuncture Stops Urinary Bladder Leakage Over Drugs

Acupuncture outperforms drug therapy for the treatment of mild to moderate female stress urinary incontinence (FSUI). Researchers from Weihai City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine conclude that electroacupuncture is effective for the control of FSUI. In the study, an electroacupuncture treatment group produced a positive patient outcome rate of 86.7%. The drug control group produced a 68.9% positive patient outcome rate for the treatment of FSUI. The electroacupuncture group had a significantly higher complete recovery rate and total effective rate. Read more.

Source: Health CMi, May 9, 2017