LANCET
Stem cell therapy is being hailed as the
next leap forward in urogynaecology after a trial
of skeletal muscle stem cells as a treatment for
stress urinary incontinence reported a 90% suc
cess rate.
Researchers treated 42 women with ultra
sound-guided injections of autologous myoblasts
and fibroblasts, with the aim of promoting
muscle regeneration in the rhabdosphincter and
reducing urethral atrophy.
The treatment was almost 10 times more effec
tive at restoring continence after 12 months com
pared with injections of collagen, the authors
reported in the
Lancet
(30 June).
Myoblasts taken from skeletal muscle have
been shown to have the same physiological prop
erties as those from the rhabdosphincter
and
have adult tissue stem cell potential,
”
the authors
wrote.
The authors of an accompanying editorial...
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