intravesical

Meaning of intravesical: Intravesical treatments are instilled directly into the bladder through a catheter, giving higher local drug exposure while limiting effects on the rest of the body.

Definition of intravesical

Intravesical describes something located inside the urinary bladder or delivered directly into it. The word most often names a route of treatment in which a liquid solution is instilled through a catheter so that it bathes the bladder lining rather than passing through the general circulation.

This local approach is used for certain bladder conditions, including some non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers, where an immune-stimulating or chemotherapy solution is held in the bladder for a period before being drained. Because the medication acts mainly at the bladder wall, an intravesical regimen can cause a different pattern of side effects than the same class of drug given by injection or by mouth.

The term can also describe pressure, fluid, or findings measured inside the bladder itself, as distinguished from structures or processes located outside its wall.