Intramural urethral bulking procedures for stress urinary incontinence
Summary
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on intramural urethral bulking procedures for stress urinary incontinence.
Description
Stress urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine during exercise or movements such as coughing, sneezing and laughing. It is usually caused by weak or damaged muscles and connective tissues in the pelvic floor, compromising urethral support, or by weakness of the urethral sphincter itself.
Typically, first-line treatment is conservative and includes pelvic floor muscle training, electrical stimulation, and biofeedback. If the condition does not improve, surgical alternatives in women may include colposuspension, tension-free vaginal tape (TVT), transobturator tape, and traditional suburethral slings.
The injection of bulking agents into the wall of the urethra is usually performed under local anaesthesia. A cystoscope is inserted into the urethra to locate the areas where the bulking agent should be introduced. After injection of local anaesthetic, several millilitres of bulking agent are injected into the submucosal tissue at the level of the proximal urethra just distal to the bladder neck. The injections may be administered transurethrally through the cystoscope or paraurethrally via small perineal incisions.
OPCS code:
M56.3 Endoscopic injection of inert substance into outlet of female bladder
The NHS Classifications Service of NHS Connecting for Health is the central definitive source for clinical coding guidance and determines the coding standards associated with the classifications (OPCS-4 and ICD-10) to be used across the NHS. The NHS Classifications Service and NICE work collaboratively to ensure the most appropriate classification codes are provided. www.connectingforhealth.co.uk/clinicalcoding
Details
Urogenital
British Association of Urological Surgeons
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Contact details:
(for general enquiries or comments)
(for procedure specific enquiries or comments)
ip@nice.org.uk
Interventional Procedures Programme
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6NA
