Prostate enlargement criteria

The prostate is an organ tissue unique to men. It has a direct impact on the male reproductive system and urinary system. Once the prostate becomes enlarged, it often causes a variety of symptoms, which has a relatively large impact on men's life and work. If you suspect that you have prostate enlargement, you should go to the hospital for examination in time. After a good examination, the cause of the disease can be clarified. Let us learn about this aspect.

Prostate enlargement criteria

(1) Rectal examination:

This is the simplest and necessary examination method for prostate hyperplasia. During the examination, attention should be paid to the anatomical boundaries, size, texture and presence of nodules of the prostate. When the prostate is hypertrophic, its texture is harder, the surface is smooth, and the central groove becomes shallow or disappears.

(2) Ultrasound examination:

It can not only measure the shape, size and nature of the hyperplastic prostate, but also analyze the internal tissue structure, providing a basis for differential diagnosis of other diseases. It is harmless to the patient and can be examined repeatedly. Among them, transrectal B-ultrasound examination is more accurate and can show the deformation and displacement of the urethra when the patient urinates, thereby reflecting the dynamic changes of bladder outlet obstruction. Transabdominal B-ultrasound examination helps to measure residual urine (the more residual urine, the more accurate it is), whether there is urinary tract stones and whether there is hydronephrosis.

(3) Urodynamics test:

It can determine the presence and degree of lower urinary tract obstruction. The maximum urine flow rate (Qmax) is the simplest and more reliable parameter. Its normal value is 15 ml/s for men. When the urine volume is between 200 and 500 ml, the measurement result is more accurate. If the urine volume is less than 200 ml, its reliability is reduced, but the calculation of relative urination resistance (RVR=T/MFR, where T is the urination time and MFR is the maximum urine flow rate) can make up for this deficiency. Its normal value is ≤2.20. If conditions permit, further pressure-uroflow-electromyography can be performed to obtain parameters such as detrusor pressure, initial capacity, bladder capacity and compliance, maximum urethral closure pressure, functional urethral length and residual urine.

In order to exclude the possibility of lower urinary tract obstruction causing pelvic ureteral dilatation and to estimate renal function, intravenous urography can also be performed. If the patient has macroscopic hematuria as the main symptom, cystoscopy can be performed. Other tests include prostate angiography and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. In the diagnosis of prostatic hyperplasia, attention should be paid to the patient's general condition (such as the presence of cardiovascular and lung diseases), and the medical history should be analyzed. From simple to complex, the number of damaging tests should be minimized.