Successful treatment with low-dose oral steroids for contracted bladder after intravesical instillation of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin

Introduction

Contracted bladder is a rare adverse effect of intravesical Bacillus Calmette–Guérin instillation, with an incidence of 0.2–3.3%. This report aimed to present a case of contracted bladder successfully treated with a low-dose oral steroid.

Case presentation

A 78-year-old man underwent a third transurethral resection of a bladder tumor. The pathological diagnosis was urothelial carcinoma in situ. After the fifth instillation of the second-line induction therapy of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin, the patient discontinued treatment because of increased urinary frequency and a continuous mean voiding volume of 80 mL. The patient was diagnosed with a contracted bladder based on computed tomography findings and a urination chart. After initiating oral prednisolone (20 mg/day), the patient experienced significant recovery within 2 weeks for both urinary frequency and mean voiding volume of 226 mL.

Conclusion

A patient with a contracted bladder after Bacillus Calmette–Guérin instillation was successfully treated with low-dose oral steroid therapy.