Urethral bulking agents: imaging review.

Abstract

At imaging, injectable bulking materials used for urinary incontinence have the potential to mimic urethral and periurethral pathology. This article elucidates the appearance of the most commonly used agents in multiple techniques and helps the practicing radiologist avoid potential diagnostic pitfalls. Carbon-coated microbeads (Durasphere) and cross-linked bovine collagen (Contigen) have fairly characteristic imaging appearances and can in most cases be differentiated from true pathology.