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IC Quick Tip IC patients have reported receiving infections after this procedure. Talk with your physician about the use of antibiotics as a preventative measure. Most importantly, if you develop a fever shortly thereafter or have increased bladder pain, request a urinalysis. |
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Revised: September 19, 1999
About Hydrodistentions
Because
some patients have noted an improvement in symptoms after the bladder distention
done to diagnose IC, the procedure is often thought of as a treatment in
itself. Bladder distention involves filling the bladder with water (while
the patient is under general anesthesia) and letting it expand to a degree
that is too painful to achieve while the patient is awake. Often the bladder
lining bleeds. Researchers are not sure why distention helps, but some believe
that the procedure may increase bladder capacity and interfere with the
pain signals transmitted by nerves in the bladder.
La Rock et al. (4) report that 20% of patients experience short term symptomatic relief of three months or less. Almost all IC patients experience a significant, temporary worsening of pain, urgency and frequency for a few days after the distention. (Your doctor can prescribe pain medication to help you through this.) After the post-distention pain wears off, some patients find their symptoms gradually return to pre-distention levels but experience no real improvement. For others, the symptoms continue to improve and stabilize at a more comfortable level than pre-distention.
The degree of improvement and length of time this improvement lasts can vary widely among individuals-- days to months. It is also impossible to predict who will and who will not respond. Because this involves the risks of general anesthesia, the merits and drawbacks should be carefully evaluated and discussed with your doctor. Click here to see more bladder photos after distention