Conditions: Painful Bladder Syndrome Interstitial Cystitis
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 20
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Patients with interstitial cystitis have been well documented to have pelvic floor muscle tenderness as well as pain on bladder distension. Some investigators have even suggested that pelvic floor muscle pain is primarily the cause of bladder problems.

Botulinum toxin A causes muscle relaxation by inhibiting the acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction. It has been shown that this mechanism relieves pain in a number of muscle spasm-related syndromes.

Because, at present, there is little effective therapy available for patients with interstitial cystitis, the researchers want to determine if botulinum toxin A will relieve bladder and pelvic pain in these patients.

Detailed description:
Screening Visit:

After being screened by her medical provider, the patient will be given the opportunity to ask questions about the study. She will then be asked to read and sign the consent and then be randomized.

Then, for women of childbearing age, a pregnancy test will be done.

Next, we will ask the patient to fill out baseline study forms and she will be given a Voiding Diary. She will also be asked to provide a urine sample which will be processed for chemistry and culture.

Injection Visit:

This visit will be scheduled one week after the Screening Visit. First, a standard history and physical will be done. Then the clinician will proceed with the injection. The subject will receive an injection of not more than 5 ml of 1% lidocaine without epinephrine at the site of the botulinum toxin A injection.

Next, 25 units of Botox will be injected, via the transvaginal route, on either side of the bladder neck. The remaining 50 units will be injected (in 2 - 25 unit doses) into other pelvic sites that the patient has identified as tender during the patient examination.

1 Month Post Injection Mailing: The patient will be mailed a packet containing follow-up questionnaires and asked to mail them back upon completion.

6 Week Urine Collection Visit: Two weeks after receiving her study injection, we will ask the patient to go to the Urology Clinic and provide a urine sample.

2 Month Post Injection Mailing: Same as 1 Month Post Injection Visit.

3 Month Post Visit: The subject will be asked to fill out follow-up questionnaires and will be asked to turn in her last set of Voiding Diaries.

Arms:
arm 1: Subjects were injected with Botulinum toxin A in a mix of 50 U diluted in 2 cubic centimeters of normal saline. With the subjects in the dorsal lithotomy position, one injection of 25 international units was given into the bladder neck at the 3 o'clock position and another of 25 international units was given into the 9 o'clock position arm 2: Subjects were injected in the bladder neck with 1 cubic centimeter normal saline into the 3 o'clock and 6 o' clock positions in the perineum, while in the dorsal lithotomy position

Interventions: intervention 1: Botox intervention 2: normal saline
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Botox 25 international units per injection injected in two places in the bladder neck, with option to inject two other tender points with 25 units each intervention 2: Normal saline injected into the bladder neck via the perineum, 1 cc each given at positions 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock

Protocol document: