Faecal incontinence (FI) is the involuntary loss of intestinal contents and causes both considerable physical impairments for patients and massive restrictions in the quality of life. Injectable bulking agents are a proposed alternative to conservative therapy options (e.g. dietary, sphincter training, biofeedback, medication). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bulking agents in comparison to the standard therapy and to compare different bulking agents.

Seven controlled trials were identified within the context of the systematic literature search and hand search. The available (low) evidence suggests that patients with passive FI do not benefit more from bulking agents than from a standard therapy. Currently, the inclusion into the Austrian hospital benefit catalogue is not recommended. A re-evaluation is proposed for 2018.