HMW-HA was significantly superior in cost effectiveness and cost efficacy to all other instillation regimes .
Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis ( BPS/IC ) is a chronic disease characterised by persistent irritating micturition symptoms and pain .
The objective was to compare the clinical efficacy of currently available products for intravesical therapy of BPS/IC and to assess their pharmacoeconomic impact .
Intravesical hyaluronic acid for interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome: a comparative randomized assessment of different regimens.
OBJECTIVES To compare the clinical effectiveness of different regimens of intravesical hyaluronic acid instillation for patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome . METHODS A total of 60 patients ( age 16 - 77 years ) diagnosed with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome were enrolled in this prospect i ve , r and omized study . A total of 30 patients were assigned to receive four weekly intravesical instillations of 40 mg of hyaluronic acid followed by five monthly instillations ( hyaluronic acid-9 group ) . Another 30 patients received 12 intravesical instillations of 40 mg hyaluronic acid every 2 weeks ( hyaluronic acid-12 group ) . Symptomatic changes after hyaluronic acid treatments were assessed using Interstitial Cystitis Symptom and Problem Indexes , pain visual analog scale , functional bladder capacity , frequency and nocturia in voiding diary , maximum flow rate , voided volume , postvoid residual volume , and Quality of Life Index at 1 , 3 and 6 months . RESULTS Of the 60 patients , 59 were evaluable at the end of the study . The Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index , Interstitial Cystitis Problem Index and total score , pain visual analog scale , functional bladder capacity , maximum flow rate , and Quality of Life Index improved significantly after 6 months in both groups . The frequency and voided volume improved significantly only in the hyaluronic acid-12 group . However , patients with moderate and marked improvement were clinical ly similar in both groups . The measured variables did not differ between the two groups over the course of the study . CONCLUSION No significant difference was noted in the therapeutic effect between two hyaluronic acid instillation regimens for treatment of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome patients . Both groups showed significant improvement in symptom scores and Quality of Life Index
HMW-HA was significantly superior in cost effectiveness and cost efficacy to all other instillation regimes .
Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis ( BPS/IC ) is a chronic disease characterised by persistent irritating micturition symptoms and pain .
The objective was to compare the clinical efficacy of currently available products for intravesical therapy of BPS/IC and to assess their pharmacoeconomic impact .