Argument for the use of the potassium sensitivity test in the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis

Excerpt

The potassium sensitivity test (PST) was originally designed to test the hypothesis that potassium played a major role in generating symptoms of interstitial cystitis (IC) by showing that a dysfunctional epithelium with loss of permeability allows potassium to directly diffuse into the bladder interstitium and polarize nerves and muscles without the need for any intermediaries. As the test was developed, it became obvious that it was a very sensitive, specific, and useful diagnostic tool, especially for determining whether or not pelvic pain or urgency/frequency were being generated by a dysfunctional epithelium and potassium cycling and thus arose from IC. In our studies, we used the PST to screen a number of populations of symptomatic patients and found the PST was positive in 80% of IC patients tested, with sensitivity at approximately 80% and specificity over 97% [1]. This has been verified by many published studies worldwide [1]. We also found that normal patients did not respond to PST, but some patients with other symptoms such as detrusor instability did respond [2]. …