What are prostate stones?

There is no specific age for prostate stones to occur, so young men as well as middle-aged and elderly men are all likely to develop prostate stones. The prostate is an important urinary organ in the male urinary system. If prostate stones occur, it will affect a man's normal urinary system. Moreover, if prostate stones are not treated in time, they will develop into more stones. But why do prostate stones form in men's bodies?

Prostate stones, also known as prostate calcification, refer to stones that originate in the prostate gland, acinus and glandular ducts; generally small ones are called calcifications, while slightly larger ones are mostly called stones. Some people say that calcification is a scar left after the prostate inflammation heals, which is wrong and has nothing to do with scars.

With the development of medical imaging, especially the popularization of B-ultrasound examination, the discovery of prostate stones is still very common; but there is no accurate incidence statistics at home and abroad.

There may be hundreds of prostate stones

Prostate stones can occur in people from 20 to 70 years old, but since there are no specific symptoms, people may not feel them. Many of them are discovered through prostate ultrasound or CT scans when they go to the doctor for men's diseases such as prostatitis. In addition, some patients are accidentally discovered during routine physical examinations.

The size and number of prostate stones vary greatly from person to person. The sizes range from 1 mm to several centimeters, but the vast majority are less than 5 mm. The number can range from a few to more than a hundred.

Some stones may affect fertility

Generally speaking, there are three types of prostate stones: Type I, which is formed by the deposition and mineralization of sodium, sulfate, phosphate, calcium and zinc, with prostate exfoliated cells or prostate fluid as the core. This type of stone is mainly located in the prostate gland and has basically no effect on the human body.

Type II prostate stones are mainly caused by urine flowing back into the prostate gland duct during urination. Over time, the components in the urine settle and crystallize.

Studies have shown that patients with chronic prostatitis may experience this phenomenon of urine reflux, while ordinary people almost never experience it. This suggests that some prostate stones may be related to prostatitis, perhaps due to long-term chronic prostatitis.

As for type III prostate stones, they are mainly located in the ejaculatory ducts that pass through the prostate tissue. Therefore, if the stones are located at the opening of the ejaculatory ducts, it is possible to cause ejaculatory duct obstruction, thus leading to obstructive azoospermia; in addition, if combined with bacterial infection, it may manifest as peripheral hematospermia.

Most do not require treatment

Many men are very scared when they find out they have prostate stones and seek medical treatment everywhere. In fact, not all prostate stones need treatment. There are several principles for whether to treat or not:

① For prostate stones without obvious clinical symptoms, no treatment is required.

② If there are lower urinary tract symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, and difficulty urinating, and if there is concurrent prostatitis or prostatic hyperplasia, corresponding drug treatment can be carried out according to the treatment principles of prostatitis or prostatic hyperplasia. However, patients must first understand that stones will not disappear with the relief of symptoms. In addition, such patients are not suitable for surgical treatment.

③ For stones in the ejaculatory duct opening, if there is obstructive azoospermia or persistent hematospermia. After excluding other causes, surgical treatment can be considered to open the ejaculatory duct opening through the urethra and remove the stone. Tips: Stones in the prostatic urethra are not prostatic stones.

The urethral stones located in the prostate segment cannot be called prostate stones because these stones are mostly "flushed" from kidney stones, ureteral stones or bladder stones. Their clinical manifestations and treatment principles are also fundamentally different from those of prostate stones.

Through the expert’s explanation, I hope everyone can correctly understand prostate stones. In fact, when men get older, many of them will have some prostate stones to a greater or lesser extent. As long as these stones do not affect normal physiological activities, there is no need to worry about it. However, if the stones are too serious, they should be treated in time.