Surgical treatment of interstitial cystitis in women

Interstitial cystitis is a clinical entity that has been known for a centur y, but its pathophysiology remains largely unknown and the optimal treatmen t is a matter of ongoing discussion. A successful strategy for treatment re lies on precise appraisal of symptoms, clinical findings and histology, as well as on the patient's individual personality. The least invasive treatme nt possible should be chosen, and only after conservative options have been exhausted should a surgical solution be considered. In this respect, anato mical bladder capacity plays an important role. A large capacity indicates the potential for conservative treatment and may be regarded as a negative predictor for the outcome of orthotopic bladder substitution. In contrast, a small anatomical capacity is unlikely to respond to conservative therapy, but is associated with a high probability of successful orthotopic bladder substitution.