Treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: Guidelines from the Committee of Female Urology (CUROPF) of the French Association of Urology (AFU)
Abstract
Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a complex chronic condition requiring a multimodal and individualized management approach. This article presents current treatment recommendations for IC/BPS, covering the full therapeutic spectrum from lifestyle and dietary measures to last-resort surgical options. Behavioral interventions, patient education, pelvic floor physical therapy, and psychological support form the cornerstone of first-line management. When these measures prove insufficient, pharmacological treatments - including conventional and atypical analgesics, as well as systemic oral therapies such as pentosan polysulfate sodium - along with intravesical instillations of glycosaminoglycans or dimethyl sulfoxide, may be considered. Interventional techniques, including hydrodistension, intravesical injections of onabotulinumtoxinA, and sacral neuromodulation, represent effective options for refractory patients. Excisional surgery and urinary diversion remain reserved for a carefully selected subgroup of patients presenting with severe, documented bladder-centric disease. Rigorous phenotypic patient selection is the cornerstone of all therapeutic decisions and the principal determinant of prognosis.
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BibTeX
@article{meyer2026treatment,
title = {{Treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: Guidelines from the Committee of Female Urology (CUROPF) of the French Association of Urology (AFU)}},
author = {François Meyer and Caroline Brandon and Christian Saussine and Shahed Borojeni and Pierre Olivier Bosset and Sandrine Campagne-Loiseau and Jean‐nicolas Cornu and Laurence Donon and Lucie Even and Marie Florin and François Hervé and Sophie Hurel and Julia Klap and Marie Aimée Perrouin-Verbe and Caroline Plassais and Claire Richard and Adrien Vidart and Souhil Lebdai and Amélie Levesque and Caroline Thuillier and Benoît Peyronnet},
journal = {The French Journal of Urology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1016/j.fjurol.2026.103169},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05769798v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: Guidelines from the Committee of Female Urology (CUROPF) of the French Association of Urology (AFU)
AU - François Meyer
AU - Caroline Brandon
AU - Christian Saussine
AU - Shahed Borojeni
AU - Pierre Olivier Bosset
AU - Sandrine Campagne-Loiseau
AU - Jean‐nicolas Cornu
AU - Laurence Donon
AU - Lucie Even
AU - Marie Florin
AU - François Hervé
AU - Sophie Hurel
AU - Julia Klap
AU - Marie Aimée Perrouin-Verbe
AU - Caroline Plassais
AU - Claire Richard
AU - Adrien Vidart
AU - Souhil Lebdai
AU - Amélie Levesque
AU - Caroline Thuillier
AU - Benoît Peyronnet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/23
JO - The French Journal of Urology
DO - 10.1016/j.fjurol.2026.103169
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05769798v1
AB - Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a complex chronic condition requiring a multimodal and individualized management approach. This article presents current treatment recommendations for IC/BPS, covering the full therapeutic spectrum from lifestyle and dietary measures to last-resort surgical options. Behavioral interventions, patient education, pelvic floor physical therapy, and psychological support form the cornerstone of first-line management. When these measures prove insufficient, pharmacological treatments - including conventional and atypical analgesics, as well as systemic oral therapies such as pentosan polysulfate sodium - along with intravesical instillations of glycosaminoglycans or dimethyl sulfoxide, may be considered. Interventional techniques, including hydrodistension, intravesical injections of onabotulinumtoxinA, and sacral neuromodulation, represent effective options for refractory patients. Excisional surgery and urinary diversion remain reserved for a carefully selected subgroup of patients presenting with severe, documented bladder-centric disease. Rigorous phenotypic patient selection is the cornerstone of all therapeutic decisions and the principal determinant of prognosis.
SN - 2950-4201
SN - 2950-3930
ER -