TREATMENT OF STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN WITH STEM CELLS

In Western countries, approximately 15% of all women suffer from stress urinary incontinence. The incidence is significantly higher among the elderly – more than 25% of older women suffer from this disease. If treatments such as exercise, medication, or electrical stimulation of the sphincter do not restore urine continence, then cell therapy can be used to improve the function of the urethral sphincter. The development of stress urinary incontinence in women is associated with a violation of the structure of the urethral sphincter, which ensures the integrity of the bladder. Violation of the sphincter structure is manifested by the loss of muscle cells and their replacement by connective tissue. This review provides readers with a brief summary of current knowledge about stem cells used to treat urinary incontinence – mesenchymal stromal cells, stem cells derived from urine and muscle satellite cells, as well as the knowledge on improving surgical navigation techniques, injections of cells into the sphincter muscle and prospects obtained from recent preclinical studies.