Adolescent pelvic pain: Interstitial cystitis

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a syndrome characterized by urinary urgency and frequency, dysuria, nocturia, and suprapubic pain. Patients are often difficult to treat due to the phenotypic heterogeneity of the disease and the limited efficacy of the treatment options. Treatment regimens must be individualized and tailored through a process of trial and error. There is a paucity of information regarding the treatment of adolescent IC. Here we report a case of a 13-year-old girl with IC who required multiple management strategies prior to obtaining symptomatic relief. We outline our treatment protocols based on the American Urologic Association IC treatment algorithm.