Acupuncture First for IC/BPS
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Acupuncture, Behavioral management, Physical therapy.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Bladder Pain Syndrome, Interstitial Cystitis. Basic parameters: 18 years — 89 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Acupuncture as First-line Therapy for Patients With Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome
Overview
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if acupuncture in addition to behavioral changes can better treat in women with bladder pain syndrome (also known as interstitial cystitis) that have not received other treatments. The main question it aims to answer is: Does acupuncture improve pain symptoms on the Interstitial Cystitis Index? Researchers will compare six (6) weeks behavioral management alone to behavioral management and acupuncture. Participants will * complete surveys about their bladder pain symptoms * make behavioral changes that have been shown to improve bladder pain symptoms * attend six (6) weekly acupuncture sessions * attend six (6) weekly physical therapy sessions after finishing acupuncture
Interventions
- Other Acupuncture
traditional and electroacupuncture - Behavioral Behavioral management
based on American urologic association guidelines - Other Physical therapy
pelvic floor with biofeedback
Primary outcome measures
- O'Leary-Sant Interstitial Cystitis Index (OLSICI) [Time frame: Baseline, every 2 weeks x3 (6 week study protocol period), every 4 weeks x 13 (52 week post-treatment period)]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) [Time frame: x1 (end of 6 week study protocol period), x1 (end of 1 year post-treatment period)]
- Short Form (SF-36) [Time frame: x1 (end of 6 week study protocol period), x1 (end of 1 year post-treatment period)]
- Genitourinary Pain Index (GUPI) [Time frame: Baseline, every 2 weeks x3 (6 week study protocol period), every 4 weeks x 13 (52 week post-treatment period)]
- Number of additional treatments used during study period [Time frame: 1 year post-treatment period]
- Number of unscheduled interactions [Time frame: 1 year post-treatment period]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Meets American Urologic Association (AUA) criteria for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS): "An unpleasant sensation (pain, pressure, discomfort) perceived to be related to the urinary bladder, associated with lower urinary tract symptoms of more than 6 weeks duration, in the absence of other identifiable cause"
- Negative urine culture
- Has completed cystoscopic evaluation for IC/BPS
Exclusion criteria
- History of recurrent urinary tract infection (2 or more culture-positive in 6 months or 3 or more in 12 months)
- History of overactive bladder
- History of bleeding disorder or are currently on chronic anti-coagulation
- Post-void residual >100mL
- Has previously undergone any of the following treatments for any indication: acupuncture, pelvic floor physical therapy, pre-tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS), sacral neuromodulation, or intradetrusor Botox
- Prior bladder augmentation
- Currently undergoing or will undergo treatment for a urologic or gynecologic malignancy
- Currently pregnant (if applicable, based on self-report)
- Implanted pacemaker or defibrillator (AICD) or any metallic implants below umbilicus (eg hip or knee replacements)
- Non-English speaking and reading
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Double blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- University Hospitals — Cleveland
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06366269 · STUDY20240374