Botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of bladder pain syndrome in women: initial results

Abstract

We present the results of botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) treatment in 49 women (aged 41-65 years) with bladder pain syndrome. Previously, all patients underwent oral and intravesical drug therapy in addition to hydrodistention of the bladder without significant clinical effect. BT-A at a dose of 100 U (20 points at 5 units) was injected into the bladder under general anesthesia. Treatment results were evaluated 3 months after the treatment using specialized questionnaires such as the Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency (PUF) Scale, O’Leary-Sant Symptom Index and Interstitial Cystitis Scale, visual analogue pain scale (VAS), and urinary diaries. Remarkably, the treatment was effective in 46 (93.8%) patients. By the end of the third month after the BT-A injection, the PUF Scale score, the O’Leary-Sant Symptom and Interstitial Cystitis Scale, and VAS reduced by 41.3%, 32%, and 34%, respectively, and urination frequency decreased by 38.5%. Thus, BT-A is an effective method for treating bladder pain syndrome in patients who are refractory to other treatment methods. (For citation: Al-Shukri SH, Kuzmin IV, Slesarevskaya MN, Ignashov YuA. Botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of bladder pain syndrome in women: initial results. Urologicheskie vedomosti. 2018;8(2):5-10. doi: 10.17816/uroved825-10).