Pudendal Nerve Pulsed Radiofrequency Effectively Alleviates Perineal Pain in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome - A Retrospective Study

Q: What problem does this study address in IC/BPS patients?

It addresses perineal pain in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, a refractory condition where patients lack effective analgesic interventions and experience compromised quality of life.

Q: How was pudendal nerve pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) evaluated?

The study used a retrospective design including 51 female IC/BPS patients who received pudendal nerve PRF, with outcomes measured by VAS, ICPI, ICSI, HADS-A/HADS-D, and PCS.

Q: What improvements were reported after PRF treatment?

At 6 months postoperatively, VAS, ICPI, ICSI, HADS-A, HADS-D, and PCS scores decreased significantly, indicating reduced perineal pain and improved psychosocial comorbidities.

Sep 29, 2026

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Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a refractory chronic pelvic pain disorder, and perineal pain severely impairs quality of life when effective analgesic options are lacking. This retrospective study assessed efficacy and safety of pudendal nerve pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) in 51 female IC/BPS patients treated from January 2020 to May 2024, using VAS, ICPI/ICSI, HADS-A/HADS-D, and PCS. Outcomes improved at 6 months with significant symptom and psychosocial relief.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Objectives and Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keywords

Wiley Pain Research and Management Volume 2025, Article ID 9320012, 8 pages [https://doi.org/10.1155/prm/9320012](https://doi.org/10.1155/prm/9320012) Research Article Pudendal Nerve Pulsed Radiofrequency Effectively Alleviates Perineal Pain in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: A Retrospective Study Yiming Liu , Ou Wu, Yifan Yang, Shunan Xie, and Yi Feng Department of Pain Medicine, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China Correspondence should be addressed to Yi Feng; [doctor_yifeng@sina.com](doctor_yifeng@sina.com) Received 30 July 2025; Revised 23 October 2025; Accepted 15 November 2025 Academic Editor: Massimiliano Valeriani Copyright © 2025 Yiming Liu et al. Pain Research and Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Tis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objectives: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a refractory chronic pelvic pain disorder. In patients presenting with perineal pain, quality of life is severely compromised due to the lack of efective analgesic interventions. Tis study aimed to evaluate the efcacy and safety of pudendal nerve pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) for managing perineal pain in IC/BPS patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 51 female IC/BPS patients who underwent pudendal nerve PRF treatment at Peking University People’s Hospital between January 2020 and May 2024 . Terapeutic outcomes were evaluated using validated metrics including the visual analog scale (VAS), interstitial cystitis problem index (ICPI) and symptom index (ICSI), hospital anxiety and depression scale (anxiety: HADS-A and depression: HADS-D), and pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) to comprehensively assess treatment efcacy on perineal pain and associated psychosocial comorbidities. Results: Te VAS score decreased from 8.0 (7.0, 9.0) preoperatively to 4.0 (2.0, 6.0) at 6 months postoperatively (p < 0.0001) . Both ICPI and ICSI scores decreased from 14.0 (12.0, 15.5) and 15.0 (12.0, 18.0) preoperatively to 8.0 (5.5, 11.0) and 8.0 (6.0, 13.0) at 6 months postoperatively, respectively (p < 0.0001). HADS-A and HADS-D scores decreased from 8.0 (4.5, 12) and 7.0 (4.5, 11.5) preoperatively to 5 (2.5, 9) and 3.0 (1.5, 7.0) at 6 months postoperatively, respectively (p < 0.05) . Te PCS score decreased from 36.58 ± 10.93 preoperatively to 13.46 ± 6.80 at 6 months postoperatively (p < 0.0001) . Te outcomes of pudendal nerve diagnostic blocks showed positive correlations with postoperative improvements in VAS, ICPI, and ICSI at 6 months. A small number of patients experienced transient buttock puncture site pain and acute urinary retention postoperatively, all of which resolved spontaneously without serious adverse reactions. Conclusions: Pudendal nerve PRF demonstrates signifcant therapeutic efcacy in managing perineal pain among patients with IC/BPS. Te outcomes of pudendal nerve diagnostic blocks exhibit predictive value for the efectiveness ofpudendal nerve PRF in alleviating IC/BPS-associated perineal pain. Keywords: interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome; perineal pain; pudendal nerve; pulsed radiofrequency 1. Introduction Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by intermittent pelvic and/or perineal pain accompanied by urinary frequency, urgency, and pain during bladder flling. Pathological hallmarks include idiopathic chronic bladder wall infammation and interstitial fbrosis. Epidemiological studies report a female prevalence of 0.83%–2.71%, approximately 5–10 times higher than males [1] . Te pathogenesis of IC/BPS remains unclear but may involve multifactorial etiologies such as occult infections, bladder mucosal barrier alterations, mast cell activation, autoimmune responses, and peripheral/central neural sensitization [2]

FAQs

What problem does this study address in IC/BPS patients?

It addresses perineal pain in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, a refractory condition where patients lack effective analgesic interventions and experience compromised quality of life.

How was pudendal nerve pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) evaluated?

The study used a retrospective design including 51 female IC/BPS patients who received pudendal nerve PRF, with outcomes measured by VAS, ICPI, ICSI, HADS-A/HADS-D, and PCS.

What improvements were reported after PRF treatment?

At 6 months postoperatively, VAS, ICPI, ICSI, HADS-A, HADS-D, and PCS scores decreased significantly, indicating reduced perineal pain and improved psychosocial comorbidities.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Đào