bovine dermal collagen

Contigen is a sterile, non-pyrogenic, glutaraldehyde cross-linked bovine dermal collagen implant used as a urethral bulking agent. It was primarily indicated for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) resulting from intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) in both adult women and men, as well as for passive fecal incontinence. The material is injected into the submucosal tissue of the urethra or bladder neck to provide mechanical bulk, thereby increasing urethral resistance to urinary flow. Developed by C. R. Bard, Contigen was a standard of care for several years but was eventually discontinued and is no longer commercially available, largely due to the requirement for skin testing to rule out bovine collagen allergy and the emergence of synthetic alternatives like polyacrylamide hydrogels (Bulkamid) and calcium hydroxylapatite (Coaptite).

Brand names

Contigen

Other names

glutaraldehyde cross-linked bovine dermal collagenbovine collagen gelContigen Bard