Women with severe stress urinary incontinence who have not benefited from surgery may gain relief from their symptoms in the form of an injectable therapy, research suggests.

Experts at Tenon Hospital in Paris have carried out a study involving injections of a new bulking agent called polyacrylamid hydrogel (PAHG).

Presenting their findings at the annual meeting of the International Continence Society, the researchers revealed that 66 per cent of women who received the injectable therapy benefited from the treatment.

A total of 50 patients took part in the study, all of whom received injections under local anaesthesia.

Of these, 17 patients had a repeat procedure after failing to benefit from the first round of injections.

The researchers found that 17 patients (34 per cent) were cured by the time of their final follow-up, approximately 19 months later.

A further 16 patients (32 per cent) had experienced an improvement in their symptoms.

Overall, the findings suggest that PAHG injections may represent a safe and effective 'salvage therapy' for women who still rely on incontinence supplies, such as Ganmill Ladies Pants, despite surgery for stress incontinence.

They concluded that the treatment is a "safe and useful option in severe, multi-operated cases of women [with] stress urinary incontinence".

However, they noted that larger studies are now needed to confirm their results.