Key Summary:
- PRP and triamcinolone improved symptoms in patients with refractory IC/BPS.
- A total of 61.3% achieved a favourable response six months after treatment.
- Higher baseline bladder pain was associated with less favourable early outcomes.
PRP and Triamcinolone Assessed in IC/BPS
PLATELET-RICH PLASMA (PRP) and triamcinolone treatment improved symptoms and bladder pain in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) who had responded inadequately to previous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
The study included 62 patients with IC/BPS who had a global response assessment (GRA) score below 2 following previous PRP treatment administered at least 3 months earlier. Participants received four monthly intravesical injections combining PRP with 40 mg triamcinolone.
Researchers assessed changes in symptom scores and uroflowmetry parameters from baseline to 3 and 6 months after completion of treatment. Outcomes were also compared with those observed following the participants’ previous PRP treatment.
The cohort included 15 patients with Hunner’s interstitial cystitis and 47 with non-Hunner’s interstitial cystitis.
Treatment Response Increased at Six Months
Symptoms and bladder pain improved significantly following combined PRP and triamcinolone treatment. At 3 months, 33 patients (53.2%) achieved a GRA score of at least 2, increasing to 38 patients (61.3%) at 6 months.
Combined treatment produced greater symptom improvement than the outcomes observed following the participants’ previous PRP treatment. Patients with Hunner’s and non-Hunner’s interstitial cystitis demonstrated similar treatment outcomes and reductions in bladder pain.
Among patients with non-Hunner’s interstitial cystitis, symptomatic improvement was also similar regardless of baseline cystoscopic hydrodistention findings.
However, baseline symptom severity appeared to influence early treatment response. Patients with a baseline bladder pain visual analogue score of at least 5 had a less favourable GRA at 3 months.
Potential Role for Adjunctive Steroid Therapy
The findings suggest that combining PRP with triamcinolone may provide a treatment option for patients with IC/BPS who have an inadequate response to previous PRP therapy.
The proportion of patients achieving a favourable GRA increased between 3 and 6 months after treatment, with 61.3% meeting the response threshold at 6 months. Similar outcomes were observed across Hunner’s and non-Hunner’s disease subgroups.
The researchers suggested that adding triamcinolone could have a potential role in targeting inflammation in patients refractory to previous PRP treatment. The findings also indicate that patients with greater baseline bladder pain may have a less favourable early response.
Reference
Jhang JF et al. Outcome of combined triamcinolone and platelet-rich plasma injection in treatment of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Int Urol Nephrol. 2026;DOI: 10.1007/s11255-026-05391-y.
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