Tengion Neo-Bladder™ technology has the potential to offer patients improved therapeutic options for reducing the risks and complications of surgical treatment for severe bladder conditions.
For patients who require a surgical intervention to increase bladder functionality, the use of a Tengion Neo-Bladder can represent a significant breakthrough over existing surgical options. The Tengion Neo-Bladder Augment™ is designed to eliminate (1) gastrointestinal surgery when conducting urological augmentation surgery and (2) the chronic, serious and frequent complications and side effects associated with the use of gastrointestinal tissue.
Bladder cancer patients who require bladder removal (cystectomy) have the potential to keep bladder functionality with the Tengion Neo-Bladder Replacement™. By having the option to retain bladder functionality, patients may have better outcomes, improved safety, and improvements in qualify of life.
The urinary bladder is the reservoir that stores and evacuates urine at low pressure. Diminished bladder functionality results in either chronic incontinence or inability to void. If the bladder is removed due to disease, an external conduit and reservoir are needed to remove urine from the body.
Disease states that result in severe bladder impairment are:
When the underlying pathology relates to the nervous system, this impairment is categorized as neurogenic. When the underlying pathology does not relate directly to the nervous system, these bladder conditions are characterized as non-neurogenic. A third disease state affecting bladder functioning is bladder cancer.
Neurogenic Bladder is a term applied to a malfunctioning urinary bladder due to neurologic dysfunction or insult resulting from internal or external trauma, disease or congenital abnormality.
Common congenital causes of neurogenic bladder in pediatric patients that require surgical intervention:
Adult causes of neurogenic bladder that require surgical intervention:
Patients with neurogenic bladder who require surgical intervention typically undergo a reconstructive bladder procedure called enterocystoplasty.
In the United States millions of patients suffer from urinary incontinence. Many of these patients, who have a condition known as Overactive Bladder, experience urge incontinence. Urge incontinence is a condition in which a patient's bladder is not functioning normally and involves a strong, sudden need to urinate, followed by a bladder contraction, which results in leakage of urine from the patient.
The majority of cases of urge incontinence are idiopathic, which means a specific cause cannot be identified. Today most patients are managed with medical therapy. In a very small number of cases of severe urge incontinence, patients may receive a surgical bladder reconstruction called enterocystoplasty.
Bladder cancer encompasses several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The most common type of bladder cancer begins in cells lining the inside of the bladder and is called urothelial cell or transitional cell carcinoma.
In many cases bladder cancer is treated surgically. The objective of surgery is to completely remove the cancerous tissue while, if possible, minimizing the impact on a patient's ability to store and excrete urine. Depending upon the requirements of treatment, patients may undergo either a partial removal of their bladder, called partial cystectomy, or a complete removal of their bladder, called radical cystectomy. The most commonly performed surgical procedure for advanced bladder cancer is radical cystectomy.