Hunner's ulcer

Hunner's Ulcers occur in 5 to 10 percent of people who have the bladder disease Interstitial cystitis. They form on the wall of the bladder and, like any ulcer, they can bleed, ooze, and may vary in size. They were first described by Dr. Guy LeRoy Hunner, 1868–1957, a Johns Hopkins gynecologist, in a paper delivered to the Boston Medical Society in 1915.

Diagnosis

Hunner's Ulcers can only be accurately diagnosed via a cystoscopy with hydrodistention. The procedure is performed by a urologist either as an in office procedure or while the patient is under general anaesthesia as a day surgery.

Treatment

The ulcers can be removed through fulguration (burned off with the use of electricity or a laser) or resection (cutting around the ulcer, removing both the ulcer and the surrounding inflamed tissue). Some ulcers may recur in the same location.

Many patients choose to live with the ulcers and treat the symptoms associated with them through bladder instillations or/and pain medication/therapy.