ABSTRACT
Murless, in 1938, first reported on injection of sodium morrhuate around the urethra by (1), and
since then various materials have been injected for urinary incontinence as an alternative to
surgery. Quackels (2) reported paraffin wax in 1955, and Sachse (3) used sclerosing agents in
1963. The initial results were poor, and significant complications such as pulmonary emboli and
urethral sloughing were seen. Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) paste, was first introduced by
Berg (4) and then popularized by Politano (5) in the 1970s. Shortliffe et al. (6) published the first
report on glutaraldehyde cross-linked collagen, and more recently autologous fat injection
(7) has been described. Newer agents, such as silicone microparticles (8) and injectable
microballoons, have also been reported (9).
