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Current Recommendations for Bladder Instillation Therapy in the Treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome

Current Urology Reports volume 14, pages 442–447 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Bladder instillation therapy refers to the direct introduction of medication into the bladder and is a common treatment modality for patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) who have failed conservative and oral therapies. The current American Urological Association (AUA) recommendations list three medications as options for IC/BPS instillation therapy: dimethyl sulfoxide, heparin, and lidocaine. The purpose of this review is to examine the evidence behind the recommendations for these medications. We also examine several historical or experimental therapies that do not hold recommendations but are still used on rare occasion. Finally, we discuss our bladder instillation strategies as well as potential future research and development in intravesicular therapy.

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Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Dr. Marc A. Colaco reported no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

Dr. Robert J. Evans serves on the board of directors for Interstitial Cystitis Assoc. and has received consultancy from Medtronic. Dr. Evans holds stock/stock options in Urigen Pharmaceuticals and has has travel/accommodations expenses covered or reimbursed by Medtronic.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA

    Marc A. Colaco & Robert J. Evans

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  1. Marc A. Colaco
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  2. Robert J. Evans
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Correspondence to Robert J. Evans.

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Colaco, M.A., Evans, R.J. Current Recommendations for Bladder Instillation Therapy in the Treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome. Curr Urol Rep 14, 442–447 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-013-0369-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-013-0369-y

Keywords

  • Interstitial cystitis
  • Bladder pain syndrome
  • Instillation therapy
  • Intravesicular dimethyl sulfoxide
  • Intravesicular heparin
  • Intravesicular lidocaine