Banner Health Offers New Injection Treatments for Women to  Provide Relief From Urine Leakage 

 Two providers at Banner Health are now offering Bulkamid injections, a new,  minimally invasive treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Emilee Sandsmark, MD, and McKenna Li, DO,  are two of only a few practitioners in the region offering this innovative procedure. SUI affects one in three women and causes unintentional urine leakage during activities such as coughing, laughing, sneezing, or exercising.  

Bulkamid, a water-based gel mixed with polyacrylamide, creates a local response with the patient’s own cells to recruit cells to bulk up the area around the urethra, narrowing the natural opening of the urethra. Bulkamid is injected into the urethra under general anesthetic during a quick outpatient appointment in a regular operating room. Patients receiving the treatment are generally back home in under three hours with minimal risk and low rates of localized reaction. 

“If someone comes to our office and reports leaking of urine, and we deem it is stress urinary incontinence, we offer a variety of options, including more conservative management like pelvic floor physical therapy, vaginal estrogen or vaginal weights,” Dr. Sandsmark said. “Those are all less invasive, and patients may choose to do those treatments first. But it is also okay to move forward with a procedural correction if the patient desires.” 

While the gold standard for treating SUI remains a mid-urethral sling, Bulkamid injections provide a new alternative for women looking for something more direct than non-invasive options but less risky than the mid-urethral slings. 

Risks to the mid-urethral sling procedure include bleeding, nerve damage, urinary retention, and mesh erosion. In contrast, Bulkamid injections have almost no risk and provide an 80% to 90% satisfaction rate. Only 30% of women need a touch-up treatment within one year of the first treatment to achieve this high satisfaction rate.  Bulkamid is clinically proven to be durable and effective for up to seven years, providing women with safe and long-lasting relief of their SUI symptoms. 

“Bulkamid is the first product in the market that is thought to have lower rates of localized reaction than other bulking agents,” Dr. Sandsmark said. “That has to do with how the agent recruits the patient’s own cells to cushion the urethra, as opposed to foreign material reaction. The only real risk is that the procedure is not  effective, and that is unlikely.”  

Women in Northern Colorado interested in learning more about Bulkamid injections can schedule a consultation with Dr. Sandsmark at the Banner Health Clinic in Loveland by calling 970-820-2009 or Dr. Li at the Banner  Health Clinic in Fort Collins at 970-821-4500. 

About Banner Health 

Banner Health is one of the largest secular nonprofit healthcare systems in the country. In addition to 33 hospitals, Banner also operates an academic medicine division, Banner – University Medicine, and Banner MD  Anderson Cancer Center, a partnership with one of the world’s leading cancer programs, MD Anderson Cancer  Center. Banner’s array of services includes a health insurance division, employed physician groups, outpatient surgery centers, urgent care locations, home care and hospice services, retail pharmacies, stand-alone imaging centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation, behavioral health services, a research division, and a nursing registry.  To make health care easier, 100% of Banner-employed doctors are available for virtual visits, and patients may also reserve spots at Banner Urgent Care locations and can book appointments online with many Banner-employed doctors. Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health also has locations in California, Colorado, Nebraska,  Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com.