Validity of Pelvic Pain, Urgency, and Frequency questionnaire in patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the validity of the Pelvic Pain, Urgency, and Frequency (PUF) questionnaire according to its correlation with cystoscopy with hydrodistension (C-HD) findings.


METHODS
A prospective study of new patients with a clinical history consistent with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) was undertaken. All patients underwent history and physical examination, urinalysis, and urine culture and completed a PUF questionnaire before undergoing C-HD. The pertinent data collected included the preoperative PUF scores, bladder capacity, and cystoscopic findings consistent with IC/PBS (petechial hemorrhage and/or terminal hematuria). Statistical analysis was performed.


RESULTS
From June 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005, 97 patients with a new clinical diagnosis of IC/PBS were prospectively evaluated. All patients completed a PUF questionnaire before C-HD. The average PUF score was 21 (range 8 to 35). The mean bladder capacity was 756 mL (range 250 to 1400). The C-HD was positive in 54 (56%) of 97 patients. Of these 54 patients, 27 had a PUF score of less than 20, 22 had a PUF score of 20 to 29, and 5 patients had a PUF score of greater than 30. When evaluated statistically, no correlation was apparent between the PUF questionnaire scores and the cystoscopic findings of IC/PBS (P <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
As determined by the correlation with the C-HD, the PUF questionnaire appears to be neither a reliable predictor of IC/PBS nor a valuable predictor of disease severity. However, the inherent limitations of C-HD and the lack of a definitive diagnostic instrument for IC/PBS limit any authoritative conclusions. Therefore, the diagnosis of IC/PBS should remain one of exclusion and should depend on a constellation of widely recognized symptoms.
Brewer
M Eric
ME
Department of Urology, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA. mebrewer@mc.utmck.edu
White
Wesley M
WM
Klein
Frederick A
FA
Klein
Leslie M
LM
Waters
W Bedford
WB
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D003558:Cystoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013577:Syndrome; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000503:physiopathology; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D014563:Urodynamics