Interstitial cystitis: involvement of the intestine

Two patients with intractable interstitial cystitis are presented. Both have had substitution enterocystoplasty and in both, unabated symptoms have resulted in ileal loop diversion. In both patients the excised neobladder had shown extensive changes of interstitial cystitis involving all layers, including the muscle layers of the explanted intestine. Also in one of these patients, symptoms suggestive of interstitial cystitis persisted and biopsies taken from the ileal loop have shown histological changes characteristic of interstitial cystitis. The presentation of interstitial cystitis in the intestine is discussed and we conclude that interstitial cystitis does manifest in the intestine.