The use of small intestinal submucosa as an off-the-shelf urethral sling material for pediatric urinary incontinence

ABSTRACTPurpose: Use of autologous rectus fascia for urethral slings in the pediatric population has produced reliable and predictable results. However, the potential morbidity and complications associated with harvesting the autologous rectus fascia have driven efforts to find a reliable off-the-shelf material for urethral slings. Small intestinal submucosa is a collagen based material that has been shown to promote tissue specific regeneration in a variety of organs. We report the clinical experience at 4 institutions with small intestinal submucosa for urethral slings.Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients 3 to 18 years old (mean age 8.7) received urethral slings using the commercially available form of small intestinal submucosa (STRATASIS, Cook Urologic Spencer, Indiana) via a sling suspension procedure from a suprapubic approach.Results: The material was consistently uniform to work with and user-friendly. All 20 patients tolerated the procedure well with no intraoperative complications. Post...