For patients with severe symptoms who do not respond to other treatments, surgery may be an option. The goal of surgery is to improve bladder capacity and reduce internal bladder pressure, but it is not very effective in relieving bladder pain.
Bladder Enlargement: A segment of intestine is harvested and sutured to the bladder to increase its capacity. After this procedure, lifelong intermittent catheterization may be required.
Cystectomy and Urinary Diversion: The contracted bladder is surgically removed; a segment of intestine is harvested to create a bladder, which is then used to create a stoma in the abdominal wall to drain urine.
