title: Painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis: aetiology, evaluation and management.
abstract: Interstitial cystitis or bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is often a chronic debilitating condition characterised by predominantly storage symptoms and associated frequently with pelvic pain that varies with bladder filling. The aetiology is uncertain as the condition occurs in the absence of a urinary tract infection or other obvious pathology. Resulting discomfort may vary and ranges from abdominal tenderness to intense bladder spasms. Diagnosis and management of this syndrome may be difficult and is often made by its typical cystoscopic features. This review discusses the diagnosis and management of interstitial cystitis according to the current available best evidence and advises a multimodal approach in its management.
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Transplantation, King's College London; Department of Urology, Guy's Hospital, London. saak_2000@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rourke
authors.forename: Shahid Aziz Anwer
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Shikohe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masood
authors.forename: Prokar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
authors.forename: Muhammad Shamim
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans