How is IC diagnosed?
At this time, doctors have different opinions about how to diagnose IC. This is because no test so far has turned out to be completely accurate. All doctors do agree that a medical history, physical exam and urine tests are needed for evaluation. These tests are important to rule out other conditions that might be causing the symptoms. Some doctors believe that IC is present if a patient has IC symptoms and no other cause for those symptoms can be found. Other doctors believe that more tests are necessary to determine whether the patient has IC. One test that many doctors use is simple office cystoscopy, in which the doctor looks inside the bladder with a cystoscope while the patient is not under anesthesia. This test can rule out other problems such as cancer. Whereas simple cystocopy can be performed in the doctor’s office, a more invasive test can be performed in the operating room. This involves a basic cystoscopic examination followed by a stretching or distention of the bladder b
