The Overlap of Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome and Overactive Bladder

Objective:

We evaluated the prevalence of positive potassium sensitivity and cystoscopy with hydrodistention findings in patients with overactive bladder.

Method:

This was a prospective cohort study of 98 patients who presented with overactive bladder symptoms. The diagnosis of overactive bladder is established by the presence of irritable voiding symptoms. All patients completed a PUF questionnaire and underwent potassium sensitivity testing. Eighty patients underwent urodynamic testing, and 42 patients underwent cystoscopic hydrodistention while under general anesthesia.

Results:

The Potassium Sensitivity Test was positive in 59 (60.2%) of the 98 patients, 37 (56%) of wet overactive bladder patients, and 22 (68.8%) of dry overactive bladder patients. Their mean PUF score was 7. Thirty-three (78.5%) of the patients who underwent cystoscopic hydrodistention had glomerulations consistent with NIH criteria for interstitial cystitis, and 26 of these patients tested positive for potassium sensitivity. Fifty-one (63.8%) of the patients who underwent urodynamics tested positive for potassium sensitivity.

Conclusion:

Many patients with symptoms of overactive bladder with little or no pain have cystoscopic evidence of interstitial cystitis and a positive Potassium Sensitivity Test. Therapies directed toward the uroepithelial dysfunction and neural upregulation associated with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome may be an important adjunct for patients who have failed or have had a partial response to anticholinergic therapy and behavior modification.     

膀胱水扩张联合灌注透明质酸钠治疗问质性膀胱炎的临床分析

目的探讨膀胱水扩张加透明质酸钠灌注治疗间质性膀胱炎的临床有效性及安全性。方法。2006年7月至2009年5月,采用美国国立。肾病、消化病和糖尿病研究所（NIDDK）制定的标准诊断间质性膀胱炎27例,所有患者均在麻醉下行膀胱镜检查加水扩张,第2天用无菌透明质酸钠液40mg／50ml膀胱灌注,1次,周,连续12次为一疗程。观察指标：钾离子敏感试验（PST）评分,O’Leary—Sant间质性膀胱炎症状评分（ICSI）,膀胱容量测定和生活质量（QOL）评分。结果27例患者均完成治疗,随访6-15个月,平均9个月,24例患者症状缓解或消失,PST评分、ICSI评分、膀胱容量、QOL评分明显改善,3例患者效果较差。PST评分由4．09±0．51分下降至1．05±0．27分（P〈0．05）,ICSI评分由13．80±2．74分下降至7．34±2．47分（P〈0．05）;膀胱容量由97±17ml增加为268±62ml（P〈O．05）,QOL评分由22．5±4．5增加为43．8±7．0。治疗前后比较差异有显著性意义（10〈0．05）。结论膀胱水扩张联合灌注透明质酸钠液是治疗间质性膀胱炎有效方法,可以明显缓解临床症状和提高生活质量。     

Possible mechanisms inducing glomerulations in interstitial cystitis: relationship between endoscopic findings and expression of angiogenic growth factors

PURPOSE: Glomerulation has been one of the requisite criteria for the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis (IC) but the mechanisms for glomerulation remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between the cystoscopic findings of vascular events and the expression of angiogenic growth factors in IC bladders to identify the possible mechanisms inducing glomerulations in IC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 45 patients suspected of having IC continuous, fixed point cystoscopic observation was performed during hydrodistention using spinal anesthesia. Bladder biopsies were performed in these cases and in an additional 5 asymptomatic cases. Thereafter, the expression of platelet derived endothelial cell growth factor/thymidine phosphorylase (PDECGF/TP) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Immunohistochemical staining for PDECGF/TP and vascular endothelial growth factor was also performed. RESULTS: Of 45 symptomatic patients 38 had glomerulations during cystoscopic examination. In these patients during hydrodistention the blood flow in bladder wall vessels was interrupted by whitish fibrous bundles. Thereafter petechial bleeding began from capillaries distal to obstructed vessels during bladder emptying. PDECGF/TP expression in patients with glomerulation was significantly higher than in symptomatic patients without glomerulation or asymptomatic patients (p < 0.001). In patients with glomerulations a high positive rate for PDECGF/TP (97.4%) and vascular endothelial growth factor (68.4%) staining was observed, while no positive staining was found in asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Glomerulations during hydrodistention are highly associated with the over expression of angiogenic growth factors in the bladder. Thus, it seems likely that neovascularization promoted by angiogenic growth factors has an important role in the pathogenesis of IC, inducing glomerulations during hydrodistension.     

Bladder stretch alters urinary heparin-binding epidermal growth factor and antiproliferative factor in patients with interstitial cystitis

PURPOSE: The etiology of interstitial cystitis is unknown. Urine from patients with interstitial cystitis has been shown to inhibit urothelial proliferation through a putative antiproliferative factor and to contain decreased levels of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) compared to controls. Stretch of detrusor smooth muscle cells is known to stimulate HB-EGF production. Because bladder hydrodistention sometimes alleviates the symptoms of interstitial cystitis, we determined whether the stretch stimulus of hydrodistention alters antiproliferative factor activity and/or HB-EGF in interstitial cystitis urine specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urine was collected immediately before, and 2 to 4 hours and 2 weeks after hydrodistention from 15 patients with symptoms and cystoscopic findings compatible with interstitial cystitis and 13 controls. Hydrodistention was performed with the subject under general or regional anesthesia and bladders were distended to 80 cm. water 3 times. Urinary HB-EGF was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and urinary antiproliferative factor activity was determined by measuring 3H-thymidine uptake by normal human bladder urothelial cells. RESULTS: Hydrodistention significantly increased urinary HB-EGF in patients with interstitial cystitis toward normal control values (before distention p = 0.003, 2 weeks after distention p = 0.67). Urine antiproliferative factor activity decreased significantly after hydrodistention in patients with interstitial cystitis. However, antiproliferative factor activity in interstitial cystitis and control specimens was still statistically different 2 weeks after distention (before distention p = 0.0000004, 2 weeks after distention p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Bladder stretch increased HB-EGF and conversely reduced antiproliferative factor activity in urine from patients with interstitial cystitis but not controls up to 2 weeks after distention. These results provide additional evidence for the possible role of antiproliferative factor and decreased HB-EGF in the pathophysiology of interstitial cystitis. To our knowledge this is also the first human study to show that in vivo bladder stretch can alter urinary factors that regulate cell growth.     

Interstitial cystitis in persistent posthysterectomy chronic pelvic pain.

OBJECTIVES: Hysterectomies may be performed unnecessarily in women with chronic pelvic pain if the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis is not considered. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of interstitial cystitis in patients with posthysterectomy chronic pelvic pain and to evaluate the efficacy of various therapies for interstitial cystitis. METHODS: A study was performed of 111 patients with chronic pelvic pain whose pain persisted after hysterectomy. Patients were screened with the Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency symptom scale, and underwent Potassium Sensitivity Testing. Patients were treated with dietary changes alone or in combination with cystoscopic hydrodistention or oral pentosan polysulfate, or both of these, for 3 to 6 months. RESULTS: Of the 111 patients enrolled, 79% (n=88) were diagnosed with bladder dysfunction consistent with interstitial cystitis. For patients treated with dietary modification alone (n=33), the mean score on the Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency questionnaire improved 15.4%, from 13.18 at baseline to 11.15 at follow-up. For patients treated with pentosan polysulfate or cystoscopic hydrodistention, or both, plus diet changes (n=78), Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency scores improved 34.2%, from 15.01 to 9.87. CONCLUSION: In this study, nonsurgical treatment for interstitial cystitis resulted in a marked improvement in symptoms that had not improved with surgery. Without determining the origin of bladder pain, gynecologists should not proceed to hysterectomy in patients with chronic pelvic pain.     

Hydrodistention of the bladder in patients with interstitial cystitis--clinical efficacy and its association with immunohistochemical findings for bladder tissues

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical relevance of hydrodistention under anesthesia for patients having urgency and/or lower abdominal pain who were clinically diagnosed as having interstitial cystitis (IC) from May 1996 to May 2005. Their symptoms were refractory to anticholinergic or antiinflammatory agents. Hydrodistention was performed under general or spinal anesthesia with direct vision by cystoscopy and irrigation fluid was instilled into the bladder at a pressure of 80 cmH2O. Cystoscopic findings revealed glomerulation in 26 patients (96%), cracking in 10 (37%) and Hunner's ulcer in 3. Twenty-four patients (89%) obtained improvement of the objective symptoms after treatment. However, symptoms soon deteriorated in 16 patients, and the average duration of efficacy was only 4.7 months (SD; +/-3.7). There were two episodes of complication in this treatment. Bladder rupture occurred during hydrodistention, but was successfully managed with simple percutaneous perivesical drainage. One patient with acute pyelonephritis was treated with an antimicrobial agent without any additional treatment. Although bladder specimens were examined by immunohistochemistry, tryptase and c-kit were not linked with the mast cell count, severity of symptoms or treatment efficacy. Hydrodistention of the bladder may be recommended as the first treatment choice for patients with IC because it provides relatively high efficacy. However, the short duration of the efficacy requires a second-line treatment option for better management of patients with IC.     

Stimulated release of urine histamine in interstitial cystitis.

The diagnosis of interstitial cystitis is primarily made based on clinical and cystoscopic findings with exclusion of other bladder diseases. Despite all of the efforts at definitive identification, interstitial cystitis lacks universal objective findings. Mast cell activation with associated histamine release has been postulated as an etiological factor leading to the symptom complex associated with interstitial cystitis. To investigate this hypothesis, a 3-step controlled prospective study was conducted. In step 1 reliability of urine histamine assay was critically examined, and the assay was established to be simple, reliable and valid. In step 2 random spot urine histamine levels (basal state) were measured in 25 noninterstitial cystitis and 15 interstitial cystitis patients (22.1 +/- 0.95 ng./ml. versus 19.2 +/- 1.19 ng./ml.). There was no significant difference in the random urine histamine levels between the 2 groups (p greater than 0.05). In step 3 urine histamine levels were measured before and after hydrodistention (acute stimulation) in 7 noninterstitial cystitis controls and 6 newly diagnosed interstitial cystitis patients under general anesthesia. The urine histamine-to-creatinine ratio was used to correct for the dilutional effect of normal saline used during hydrodistention. The urine histamine-to-creatinine ratios of the control group showed no significant difference before and after hydrodistention. However, the difference in the urine histamine-to-creatinine ratios of the interstitial cystitis group compared to the controls before and after hydrodistention was highly significant (p less than 0.001). Although measurement of random spot urine histamine alone (basal state) was not found useful to make the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis, measurement of urine histamine before and immediately after hydrodistention (acute stimulation) may become an important objective parameter to assist in the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis.     

Interstitial cystitis and endometriosis in patients with chronic pelvic pain: The "Evil Twins" syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of interstitial cystitis and endometriosis in patients with chronic pelvic pain. METHODS: A prospective analysis was conducted in 178 women with CPP who presented with bladder base/anterior vaginal wall and/or uterine tenderness, with or without irritative voiding symptoms. The Potassium Sensitivity Test was used to assess bladder epithelial dysfunction. Patients were evaluated with concurrent laparoscopy and cystoscopy with hydrodistention. RESULTS: Laparoscopic findings among the 178 patients with chronic pelvic pain supported a diagnosis of endometriosis in 134 (75%) patients, and cystoscopy confirmed a diagnosis of interstitial cystitis in 159 (89%) patients. Both interstitial cystitis and endometriosis were diagnosed in 115 patients (65%). The Potassium Sensitivity Test was positive in 146 (82%) patients, with 140 (96%) of these patients diagnosed with interstitial cystitis and 105 (72%) with endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this prospective study show that interstitial cystitis and endometriosis may frequently coexist in patients with chronic pelvic pain. A positive Potassium Sensitivity Test accurately predicted the presence of interstitial cystitis in 96% of these patients with chronic pelvic pain, as confirmed by cystoscopic hydrodistention. It is necessary to consider the diagnosis of endometriosis and interstitial cystitis concurrently in the evaluation of patients with chronic pelvic pain to avoid unnecessary delay in identifying either condition.     

Bladder necrosis following hydrodistention in patients with interstitial cystitis

PURPOSE: Bladder hydrodistention is used to diagnose and treat patients with interstitial cystitis. This procedure has been shown to have minimal morbidity and provide symptomatic relief in a subset of patients with interstitial cystitis. We report our experience with almost total bladder necrosis after hydrodistention at 2 institutions. To our knowledge this rare complication has not been previously reported in the literature. We also reviewed the literature regarding complications of hydrodistention and discuss their possible etiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We report 3 cases of bladder necrosis after therapeutic hydrodistention for interstitial cystitis at 2 institutions. All records were reviewed, and the clinical presentation, findings and treatments are discussed. A literature review was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and complications of hydrodistention for interstitial cystitis. RESULTS: There were 2 female and 1 male patient between ages 29 and 46. All patients had a previous diagnosis of interstitial cystitis and had been previously treated with hydrodistention. All patients presented with severe abdominal pain and had necrosis of the entire bladder wall with sparing of the trigone. Two patients were treated with supratrigonal cystectomy. A review of the literature revealed little data on the effectiveness of hydrodistention for interstitial cystitis. CONCLUSIONS: Vesical necrosis is a rare but devastating complication of hydrodistention. It can occur in young patients in the absence of a contracted bladder and it usually presents as severe postoperative abdominal pain. At exploration bladder necrosis with sparing of the trigone was observed. All patients required enterocystoplasty.     

BLADDER MICROVASCULATURE IN WOMEN WITH INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

PURPOSE: A cardinal cystoscopic finding in women with interstitial cystitis is mucosal small vessel hemorrhage or glomerulations after hydrodistention. We quantified and compared microvascular density and endothelial proliferation in the bladder biopsies of women with interstitial cystitis and a control group of women who were undergoing incontinence or prolapse surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed computer assisted image analysis and immunohistochemical studies to compare differences in the blood vessel count, and proportional area in the bladder suburothelium and deeper submucosa of bladder biopsies of 52 women, including 26 with interstitial cystitis. Routine light microscopy features were examined and correlated with microvascular density. RESULTS: In the bladder biopsies of women with interstitial cystitis there was a lower blood vessel count (p = 0.01), and a lower proportion of the total image consisted of blood vessel wall (p = 0.03) in the suburothelium than in control biopsies. We noted no difference in the blood vessel count of the deeper submucosa or in the degree of endothelial cell proliferation. Suburothelial blood vessel differences correlated with the degree of histological change, such as edema, inflammatory infiltrate and vascular congestion. CONCLUSIONS: We found decreased microvascular density in the suburothelium but not in the deeper submucosa in bladder biopsies of women with interstitial cystitis.     

Intravesical instillation of resiniferatoxin for the patients with interstitial cystitis

Although hydrodistention of the bladder is accepted as the initial treatment for patients with interstitial cystitis (IC), second-line treatment for worsening symptoms is not concretely established. Resiniferatoxin (RTX) desensitizes bladder afferent c-fibers and its intravesical instillation is effective for patients with detrusor overactivity. We studied the clinical relevance of intravesical treatment with RTX for patients with IC. The treatment was performed for 3 patients with incomplete improvement after hydrodistention. All 3 patients were free of bladder pain posttreatment and had slight improvement of the maximum voided volume. Though RTX treatment requires general anesthesia against severe bladder pain it is effective for selected patients with interstitial cystitis and can be potentially used as one of the treatment options.     

Prolonged hydrodistention of the bladder for symptomatic treatment of interstitial cystitis: efficacy at 6 months and 1 year

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of hydrodistention of the bladder for symptomatic treatment of interstitial cystitis after 6 months and 1 year of follow-up and to identify a predictive factor. METHODS: The study included 65 consecutive patients (a first retrospective series of 33 and a second prospective series of 32) treated by hydrodistention of the bladder for urinary symptoms attributed to interstitial cystitis. All experienced pain on bladder filling, which was relieved by micturition or bladder voiding, and had more than two nocturias. Glomerulations were detected at short hydrodistention during cystoscopy. No patients were subject to NIH exclusion criteria. Hydrodistention was performed continuously for 3 h without rest intervals under epidural anesthesia using a balloon with a pressure equal to the patient's mean arterial pressure. Efficacy was defined as the disappearance of pain on bladder filling or the persistence of moderate, non-disabling pain for which the patient did not request treatment, and a low frequency of nocturia (zero to two times). The efficacy period was estimated according to Kaplan-Meier methods for survival curves. The second series was used to verify the analytic results of the first series. RESULTS: Treatment efficacy was 12/32 (37.7% CI: 20.7-54.3) at 6 months and 7/32 (21.9% CI: 7.6-36.2) at 1 year for the first series, and 18/30 (60.0% CI: 45.0-75.0) at 6 months and 13/30 (43.3% CI: 25.6-61.1) at 1 year for the second series. In both series, results were better for the subgroup of patients with a bladder capacity > or = 150 ml during cystometry before distention. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed good but transient efficacy in the least developed or least severe forms of the disease.     

膀胱水扩张加肝素灌注治疗女性间质性膀胱炎10例报告

目的观察膀胱水扩张加肝素灌注治疗间质性膀胱炎（IC）的疗效。方法该组10例IC患者均为女性。平均年龄36岁。平均病程30个月。所有患者在麻醉下行膀胱镜检加水扩张,次日均使用肝素钠10^5u加入无菌生理盐水20mL膀胱灌注,完成治疗后以O’Leary-Sant间质性膀胱炎症状评分（ICSI）、每日排尿次数及最大膀胱容量作为疗效评判标准,观察治疗前后患者各项指标情况。结果10例患者按照疗程治疗后随访4-12个月,平均7.5个月,症状缓解4例,症状显著缓解或消失6例;O’Leary-Sant ICSI治疗前为（12.5±4.9）分,平均治疗7个月后降为（6.5±2.3）分（P〈0.01）;治疗前患者平均排尿次数为（14.9±2.6）次／d,完成治疗后患者排尿次数减少至（7.8±2.8）次／d（P〈0.01）;膀胱最大容量治疗前为（73±10）mL,治疗后为（260±56）mL（P〈0.01）。治疗期间发生轻微肉眼血尿2例。结论膀胱水扩张联合肝素膀胱灌注治疗可有效缓解间质性膀胱炎患者症状,提高生活质量,是一种有效的治疗方法。     

A case of proliferative cystits forming a tumorous lesion associated with male infertility

A 41-year-old man was referred for infertility to our hospital. Retrograde ejaculation was suspected on several semen analyses. Retrograde cystourethrography showed irregular filling-defect at the base of bladder. Cystoscopic examination revealed a broad-based non-papillary bladder tumor, which was located mainly on the trigone of bladder. Transurethral resection was performed, and histological examination showed proliferative cystitis. Proliferative cystitis is not so rare, but there was no case report of proliferative cystitis associated with male infertility.     

膀胱水扩张联合灌注树胶脂毒素治疗间质性膀胱炎的疗效分析

目的 评价使用腰麻下膀胱水扩张联合灌注树胶脂毒素(RTX)治疗间质性膀胱炎(IC)的疗效.方法 回顾性分析16例间质性膀胱炎患者,均使用腰麻下行水扩张加RTX膀胱灌注.评价治疗前、后1个月以及6个月的排尿次数,排尿量以及临床症状比较.结果 所有患者治疗前与治疗后1个月以及6个月的排尿频率、最大膀胱容量以及临床症状评分相...     

膀胱水扩张联合灌注树胶脂毒素治疗间质性膀胱炎的疗效分析

目的 评价使用腰麻下膀胱水扩张联合灌注树胶脂毒素(RTX)治疗间质性膀胱炎(IC)的疗效.方法 回顾性分析16例间质性膀胱炎患者,均使用腰麻下行水扩张加RTX膀胱灌注.评价治疗前、后1个月以及6个月的排尿次数,排尿量以及临床症状比较.结果 所有患者治疗前与治疗后1个月以及6个月的排尿频率、最大膀胱容量以及临床症状评分相比,均有明显改善差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).16例患者中14位患者有不同程度的症状改善.2例患者的临床症状消失或明显改善.结论 RTX膀胱灌注以及膀胱水扩张对于间质性膀胱炎是短期内安全有效改善症状的治疗方法.     

Painful bladder disease: clinical and pathoanatomical differences in 115 patients

The diagnostic criteria for interstitial cystitis considered as a subgroup of painful bladder disease (that is sensory bladder disease and chronic abacterial cystitis) are not well established. Some urologists rely on symptoms, while others rely on cystoscopic appearance or pathological findings. Among 115 patients with painful bladder disease we compared symptoms, and cystoscopic and urodynamic findings in those with and without detrusor mastocytosis (28 or more mast cells per mm.2) and attempted to elucidate possible differences between the groups. We chose the pathological anatomical criterion of detrusor mastocytosis to be diagnostic for interstitial cystitis. A total of 43 patients had detrusor mastocytosis and other pathological anatomical signs of interstitial cystitis, and 72 had no mastocytosis but the pathological diagnoses of chronic unspecific cystitis, fibrosis of the bladder, detrusor myopathy, intestinal metaplasia and normal findings. When the 2 groups of patients were compared we found no differences in regard to symptoms (pain, dysuria, frequency, nocturia and urgency), frequency of allergy and hysterectomy, duration of symptoms, petechial bleeding during cystoscopy with bladder distension and cystometric findings. The patients with mastocytosis differed from those without mastocytosis in that they were older, and had a higher frequency of hematuria, a higher frequency of a red, scarred and richly vascularized bladder at cystoscopy before distension, and a smaller cystoscopic bladder capacity. We conclude that by dividing patients with painful bladder into 2 groups according to the mast cell counts in the detrusor, certain differences in the clinical findings in the groups can be ruled out. However, in individual patients one cannot note with certainty to which pathological anatomical group the patient belongs, since great overlapping between the groups exists. Whether only patients with detrusor mastocytosis have interstitial cystitis depends on definitions and still remains an open question.     

DO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES CYSTOSCOPIC CRITERIA ASSOCIATE WITH OTHER CLINICAL AND OBJECTIVE FEATURES OF INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS?

PURPOSE: We compared urine markers, bladder biopsy findings and clinical features of patients with symptoms of interstitial cystitis (IC) who did or did not meet the cystoscopic criteria defined by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urine markers and symptom questionnaires were measured before and 1 month after bladder distention for IC. Bladder biopsies were taken at the time of distention. At distention patients were defined as meeting or not meeting the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases established cystoscopic criteria for IC. The 2 patient groups were compared. RESULTS: Urine marker levels were similar for the 2 groups, including antiproliferative factor, epidermal growth factor, heparin binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, interleukins 6 and 8, and methylhistamine. Bladder biopsy features were similar for the 2 groups. Bladder capacity with the patients under anesthesia was higher in those who did not meet the criteria (median 750 vs 1,000 ml, p = 0.005). Median age at symptom onset was 26 years in both groups. On the University of Wisconsin symptom scale patients who met the criteria had higher scores for daytime frequency (p = 0.002) and nocturia (p = 0.01). Symptom characteristics and symptom response after bladder distention were similar for the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who met the cystoscopic criteria had worse daytime frequency and nocturia, and lower bladder capacity under anesthesia. However, the 2 groups had similar urine markers and bladder biopsy findings. The cystoscopic criteria do not appear to identify a distinct pathophysiological subset of patients with IC symptoms.     

Recurrent interstitial cystitis following cystoplasty: fact or fiction?

The severity of symptoms in interstitial cystitis may necessitate surgical treatment in approximately 10% of the patients. Substitution cystoplasty provides satisfactory results in most of these cases, while avoiding the need for urinary diversion. It has been suggested that interstitial cystitis may affect the bowel segment used in this form of operation. We studied bowel segments removed from cystoplasties in 5 patients with interstitial cystitis and compared these to bowel used for lower urinary reconstruction for other disorders in 6 patients. All segments showed varying degrees of inflammation, fibrosis and mastocytosis but there was no difference between the 2 groups for these features. We conclude that inflammation and fibrosis is the usual reaction of bowel to exposure to urine, and they do not represent a specific spread of interstitial cystitis in those patients. However, this reaction does mimic the histological appearance of interstitial cystitis in the bladder and may suggest a model for this disease.     

Electromotive drug administration of lidocaine and dexamethasone followed by cystodistension in women with interstitial cystitis

Electromotive drug administration (EMDA) involves the active transport of ionized drugs such as lidocaine by the application of an electric current. Twenty-one female subjects with interstitial cystitis were treated with EMDA of lidocaine and dexamethasone, followed by cystodistension. The procedure was convenient and well tolerated, with hospital attendance for 1 hour. Bladder anesthesia was excellent, with cystodistension from a discomfort level of 200 ml to a mean volume of 600 ml. Eighty-five percent had a good response (reduction in frequency and in pain score by 3 or more) at 2 weeks, with 63% still responding at 2 months. An excellent response (pain score of 0) was present in 25% of patients reviewed at 6 months. These results are comparable to the response following cystodistension under general anesthesia. There is a need for a randomized blinded comparison of lidocaine with and without EMDA. If proven to be of pharmacological efficacy, EMDA would have many applications in facilitating procedures previously requiring general anesthesia. EDITORIAL COMMENT: Electromotive drug administration is a new therapy being evaluated by these researchers for interstitial cystitis. Traditional drugs and hydrodistention are used with the addition of this new modiality. Randomized controlled trials are necessary to see if the initially good results can be confirmed.