Stem Cells Used To Aid Continence

Scientists have helped women beat incontinence by injecting them with stem cells from their own tissue. Research on stem cells - the ultimate in self-medication - is still in its infancy. But Ferdinand Frauscher of the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, told the Radiological Society of North America yesterday that he had taken stem cells from the arms of 20 women, aged from 36 to 84, and multiplied them in a laboratory culture. He then injected them into the wall of the urethra and sphincter muscle, in effect strengthening the muscle. The outpatient treatment took 20 minutes, and within 24 hours patients reported that "leaks" had stopped. One year later, 18 of the 20 women were still continent.

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