PROSTATISM

Difficulty urinating caused by benign enlargement of the prostate gland is called prostatism. Such enlargement is also called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH. BPH is the most common benign tumor in men and is responsible for some urinary symptoms in most men over the age of 50. It is thought that between 20 to 30 percent of men will need medical or surgical treatment of BPH before they reach age 80.

Causes of Prostatism

The prostate gland is a male sex gland which is important for reproduction. It surrounds the neck of the bladder like a doughnut. As men get older, the prostate gland routinely enlarges. This benign enlargement may obstruct the "hole in the doughnuts" causing difficulty voiding. Such obstructive urinary symptoms are called PROSTATISM.

Symptoms of Prostatism

Obstructive urinary symptoms for BPH include: hesitancy upon the initiation of urination, decreased force and caliber of the urinary stream, the sensation of incomplete bladder emptying and intermittency of the urinary stream. A variety of other symptoms may include: frequent urination, nighttime urination, urgent urination, and at times even the inability to urinate at all (retention).

Diagnosing Prostatism

Many men have varying degrees of prostatism. Mild symptoms may include, for example, only the occasional symptom of incomplete emptying while more severe symptoms may include total urinary retention. Your physician may ask you questions about how you void or he may recommend some tests to see if you have prostatism. He will certainly perform a digital rectal examination and order a blood test to check for prostate cancer.

Treatment of Prostatism

Because so many men have some of the symptoms of prostatism, it is difficult to decide who should be treated and how they should be treated. Once the treatment decision has been made, "the gold standard"against which all treatments must be measured is Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP). Transurethral resection of the prostate is a surgical procedure which has now been done for decades. It involves inserting a scope into the urethra (penis) and surgically resecting (hence, transurethral resection) a portion of the obstructing prostate tissue. For years this was the only effective treatment. TURP remains an excellent treatment for prostatism although it does introduce some surgical risk.

Over recent years there have been a number of other described methods to treat prostatism. These newer therapies include medications which relax the neck of the bladder and others which have a tendency to shrink the prostate. Generally these medications are effective, but not as effective as TURP.

Still other methods to treat prostatism are being used. Very large prostate glands must be treated with open surgery. Laser treatment of the prostrate is now being done routinely and successfully. A newer method, "vaporization" of the prostate is also gaining favor. All non-TURP treatment is intended to be of lower risk than TURP and hopefully still effective.

No patient needs to suffer with difficulty voiding from BPH. There are many options available, and certainly each patient's needs can be met in choosing one of the alternatives.

Information provided by GU Logic (800) 451-8107.

The information provided in this section should in no way serve as medical advice. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained here with other sources and seek medical advice from a physician. Neither the authors nor any other party who has been involved in the preparation or publication of this work warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or complete and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained for the use of such information.

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