Changes in Cystoscopic Findings after Intravesical Hyaluronic Acid Instillation Therapy in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis

Abstract

(1) Background: Limited data showed changes in glomerulation in the bladder mucosa of patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) after intravesical hyaluronic acid (HA) bladder infusion. We aimed to investigate the above changes. (2) Methods: Medical records of IC patients were reviewed retrospectively, from January 2010 to October 2019. Patients who had received repeated cystoscopy after intravesical HA treatment were enrolled. The associations of multiple parameters, including the ages, symptoms, initial glomerulation stage, HA doses, and the interval period of repeated cystoscopy between the glomerulation change in the repeated cystoscopy were analyzed. (3) Results: Among the 35 patients, 9 cases (25.7%) showed better glomerulation grades in the repeated cystoscope (Group 1), 20 cases (57.1%) showed the same grades (Group 2), and 6 cases showed worse grades (Group 3). No difference was seen in the initial grades or treatment course among the three groups. The interval periods from the initial to the repeated cystoscopy of Group 1 were longer than Group 2 and Group 3 (p = 0.031). Group 3 presents an elder age trend than the other two groups. (4) Conclusion: Intravesical HA repaired bladder glomerulation in a small group of patients with IC. Prolonged treatment has potential benefits, while older age is possibly a negative factor. However, no strong correlation was found between the initial glomerulation grades or changes in glomerulation grades with clinical symptoms.