Scientific Resources
This page is designed for urologists, researchers and other specialists working in the field of IC/BPS. Rather than an exhaustive database, it offers a curated selection of scientific literature, chosen and organised by topic to help professionals navigate the evidence efficiently — from scientific guidelines to the condition’s history. The collection is regularly updated to reflect the latest research, and full access is reserved for ESSIC members.
Find the information you need
Whether you are a nurse or a pelvic floor specialist, this page offers resources tailored to your role in the care of IC/BPS patients. Choose your profession below to explore the dedicated literature collection and learn more about how your work contributes to patient care.
Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: Clinical Guidelines
ESSIC guidelines translate the Society’s expertise into practical recommendations for the diagnosis and management of IC/BPS. Developed by ESSIC experts, they offer clinicians a consistent, up-to-date reference for everyday practice.
Staying aligned with current clinical guidelines is essential for evidence-based practice. Here you will find a selection of the most relevant guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of IC/BPS and chronic pelvic pain syndromes, published by leading urological associations and societies around the world.
Selected Literature: Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome
From diagnostic criteria to emerging treatment approaches, research on IC/BPS continues to evolve rapidly, with new findings published every year across multiple areas of investigation. This selection brings together literature covering the breadth of current scientific work on the condition, offering a reliable starting point for specialists looking to stay informed.
Selected Literature: Interstitial Cystitis/Hunner Lesion Disease
Hunner Lesion Disease is a distinct subtype of IC/BPS, requiring its own diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Because this condition is less common and often under-recognised, specialised literature plays an important role in supporting accurate diagnosis and effective management.
This selection focuses on recent research into its underlying mechanisms, diagnostic methods, and treatment outcomes.
Selected Literature: Associated Diseases and Disorders
IC/BPS rarely occurs in isolation. A growing body of research explores its associations with autoimmune, neurological and other systemic conditions, and understanding these links is often key to effective, individualised patient management.
This selection gathers literature examining these associations and their clinical implications.
Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: Symptom Scores
Validated symptom scores are an important tool for assessing IC/BPS consistently, both in clinical practice and in research settings. They allow specialists to track symptom severity over time and support more standardised, comparable outcomes across studies.
This selection presents the main instruments in use — including the O’Leary-Sant indices, GUPI, ICSI/ICPI, PUF, BPIC-SS, and the Pelvic Pain Map — along with the literature supporting their development and validation.
Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: History
Long before IC/BPS was defined as we know it today, physicians were already describing bladder pain syndromes in their clinical writings, with some accounts dating back to the early 19th century. Tracing this history offers valuable context for understanding how diagnosis and treatment have evolved over time.
This selection follows that journey through historic literature, from early clinical descriptions to the foundational work of Guy Hunner and beyond.
