American Urological Association Announces Updates to Clinical Guidance for Interstitial Cystitis

BALTIMORE, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA) announced today amendments to its clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), originally published in 2011 and updated in 2014, based on additional literature search conducted through January 2021.

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome is a part of the bladder disease complex which includes patients with bladder and/or urethral and/or pelvic pain, lower urinary tract symptoms and sterile urine cultures. This guideline uses the IC/BPS definition agreed upon by the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology (SUFU): "An unpleasant sensation (pain, pressure, discomfort) perceived to be related to the urinary bladder, associated with lower urinary tract symptoms of more than six weeks duration, in the absence of infection or other identifiable causes."

"This guideline is meant to provide direction to clinicians and patients on how to recognize, diagnose and treat interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome," said J. Quentin Clemens, MD, chair of the guideline amendment panel and director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at the University of Michigan. "An important component of that clinical framework is discussion of treatments that should and should not be offered. As the relevant science evolves and improves, this guideline will continue to require amendment to remain consistent with the highest standards of clinical care."

In contract to prior versions, the 2022 updated guideline no longer divides treatments into first-line through sixth-line tiers. Instead, treatment is categorized into behavioral/non-pharmacologic, oral medicines, bladder instillations, procedures and major surgery. This approach reinforces that the clinical approach for IC/BPS needs to be individualized ad based on the unique characteristics of each patient.

In addition, new statements were written to provide guidance on cystoscopy for patients with Hunner lesions, shared decision-making and potential adverse events from pentosane polysulfate. The supporting text on major surgery has also been revised.

The full text of the amended clinical guideline is now available online at www.AUAnet.org/Interstitial-Cystitis.

A summary of the guideline also appears at:

• Clemens JQ, Erickson DR, Varela NP et al: Diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. J Urol 2022; https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002756.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 24,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

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SOURCE American Urological Association