Advanced therapy for prostatitis: Minimally invasive and invasive therapies

The clinical syndromes of chronic prostatitis range from well-defined chronic bacterial infections to poorly defined chronic pelvic pain syndrome, previously referred to as prostatodynia and abacterial prostatitis. Faced by the obscure nature of the disease, its protracted course, and the poor response to oral medication, urologists have considered alternative treatment options. This article reviews the indications and outcomes of minimally invasive and invasive therapies for chronic prostatitis syndromes and discusses their potential use and benefits.     

Acute and chronic prostatitis: diagnosis and treatment

Several distinct types of prostatitis, or prostatitis syndromes, are now recognized. The most common types include acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis, nonbacterial prostatitis, and prostatodynia. Bacterial prostatitis, caused mainly by enterobacteria, is often difficult to cure, and chronic bacterial prostatitis is a common cause of relapsing recurrent urinary tract infection in men. Nonbacterial prostatitis, the most common syndrome, is an inflammation of the prostate of unknown cause. Patients with prostatodynia typically have sterile cultures and normal prostatic secretions but demonstrate an acquired voiding dysfunction on video-urodynamic testing. Since nonbacterial types of prostatitis have no recognized infectious cause, treatment using antimicrobial agents is ineffective and unwarranted.     

Management of chronic prostatitis in Genitourinary Medicine clinics in the United Kingdom's North Thames Region 2000

Twenty-two Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) clinics in North Thames participated in a survey of policies and case notes audit of chronic prostatitis managed within the past 2 years, compared with the UK National Guideline. For 32/33 cases notes reviewed (97%) chronic abacterial prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CAP/CPPS) were diagnosed. Of these, 14/32 cases (44%) were following non-chlamydial non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), 1/32 cases (3%) followed Chlamydia trachomatis infection and for 17/32 cases (53%) no predisposing cause was identified. The single case of chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) was caused by prostatic infection with Staphylococcus spp. All cases were prescribed antibiotics, initial follow-up appointments coinciding with completion of antibiotics. Fourteen cases (42%) were discharged following GUM clinic management; only 7 of these cases (50%) were asymptomatic, the others having residual problems. Nine cases (27%) were referred to a specialist. Ten cases (30%) defaulted follow-up appointments; 7 of these did not attend their first follow-up appointments.     

The management of chronic prostatitis in men with HIV

Prostatitis is a common urologic diagnosis. Although treatment algorithms are available for this poorly understood entity, several adaptations must be made in order to accommodate the therapeutic needs of HIV-positive patients. The most important consideration when treating HIV-infected patients for prostatitis is their current immune status, whether they are immunocompromised or not (non-progressive disease or reconstituted with highly active antiretroviral therapy). A treatment algorithm for those with chronic bacterial prostatitis (Category II), chronic nonbacterial prostatitis (Category IIIA), and prostatodynia (Category IIIB) is presented in this article. In the HIV-positive patient population, there is a greater likelihood for atypical pathogens including fungi, tuberculosis, anaerobes, and viruses. Because the HIV-infected patient is at increased risk for the development of prostatic abscess and urosepsis than the general population, increased monitoring and evaluation and longer-term appropriately directed antimicrobial therapy are required.     

Diagnosis and treatment of chronic abacterial prostatitis: a systematic review

PURPOSE: The optimal management of chronic abacterial prostatitis is not known. A systematic review of the literature was done to answer the following questions: Are there accurate, reliable tests to diagnose chronic abacterial prostatitis? Are there effective therapies for it? DATA SOURCES: Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE (1966 to 1999), the Cochrane Library, and bibliographies of identified articles and reviews and by contacting an expert STUDY SELECTION: Diagnostic test articles were included if they reported on controlled studies; treatment articles were included if they reported on randomized or controlled trials. No language restrictions were applied. DATA EXTRACTION: For each selected article, two investigators independently extracted key data on study design, patient characteristics, diagnostic test or treatment characteristics, and outcomes. DATA SYNTHESIS: 19 diagnostic test articles and 14 treatment trials met the inclusion criteria The disparity among studies in design, interventions, and other factors precluded quantitative analysis or pooling of the findings. Diagnostic test articles included 1384 men (mean age, 33 to 67 years) and evaluated infection; inflammation, immunology, and biochemistry; psychological factors; and ultrasonography. Treatment trials included 570 men (mean age, 38 to 45 years) and evaluated medications used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, thermotherapy, and miscellaneous medications. No trial was done in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: There is no gold-standard diagnostic test for chronic abacterial prostatitis, and the methodologic quality of available studies of diagnostic tests is low. The few treatment trials are methodologically weak and involved small samples. The routine use of antibiotics and alpha-blockers to treat chronic abacterial prostatitis is not supported by the existing evidence.     

The characterization of bacterial and nonbacterial prostatitis by prostatic immunoglobulins

Although inflammatory diseases of most human secretory surfaces are difficult to investigate clinically, the secretory immune system of the human prostate may be studied relatively easily because prostatic fluid may be obtained from the gland by digital massage. We studied inflammatory conditions of the prostate to establish whether we could use the humoral immune response to differentiate these conditions. Using a sensitive solid-phase radioimmunoassay, we measured total IgA and IgG, and IgA and IgG antibodies to Enterobacteriaceae in the serum and prostatic fluid of men with and without prostatic inflammation. These studies show that levels of IgA and IgG in the prostatic fluid of men with bacterial prostatitis are higher than those in men without histories of urinary or prostatic infections. In men with bacterial prostatitis, prostatic antibodies to Enterobacteriaceae were elevated 12 to 18 months after curative treatment and indefinitely after ineffective treatment; anti-Enterobacteriaceal IgG levels returned to normal after infection only with cure. Total IgA and IgG in the prostatic fluid of men with nonbacterial prostatitis--men who have signs of prostatic inflammation without evidence of old or ongoing bacterial infection--are also higher than levels found in uninfected individuals. Although this finding supports an inflammatory etiology for the symptoms seen in nonbacterial prostatitis, no significant IgA or IgG Enterobacteriaceal antibody titers were detected in these patients. This excludes a remote Enterobacteriaceal infection as a cause of nonbacterial prostatitis. These observations confirm that the prostate gland is a distinct part of the male secretory immune system.     

Prostatitis and urinary tract infection in men: what's new; what's true?

Urinary tract and prostatic infections are common in men, and most are treated by primary providers. Acute bacterial prostatitis is caused by uropathogens, presents with a tender prostate gland, and responds promptly to antibiotic therapy. Chronic bacterial prostatitis is a subacute infection, may present with a variety of pelvic pain and voiding symptoms, and is characterized by recurrent urinary tract infections. Effective treatment may be difficult and requires prolonged antibiotic therapy. Nonbacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome are more common than bacterial prostatitis, and their etiologies are largely unknown. Treatment for both nonbacterial disorders is primarily symptomatic. An underlying anatomic or functional condition usually complicates urinary tract infections in men, but uncomplicated infections occur, often related to sexual activity. Gram-negative bacilli cause most urinary tract and prostate infections. Therapy for prostatic infections requires an agent that penetrates prostatic tissue and secretions, such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or, preferably, a fluoroquinolone. Duration of antibiotic therapy is typically 1 to 2 weeks for cystitis, 4 weeks for acute bacterial prostatitis, and 6 to 12 weeks for chronic bacterial prostatitis. Long-term suppressive antibiotic therapy and nonspecific measures aimed at palliation may be useful in selected patients with recurrent bacteriuria or persistent symptoms of chronic bacterial prostatitis.     

Fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agents in the treatment of prostatitis and recurrent urinary tract infections in men

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is the most frequent cause for recurrent urinary tract infection in young and middle-aged men. The selection of an appropriate antimicrobial agent that has optimal pharmacokinetics for urine and prostatic secretion and tissue is important in both entities. Fluoroquinolones possess several pharmacologic characteristics that favor them for treatment of urinary tract infection and prostatitis. The pharmacokinetics of fluoroquinolones and the theoretical background of drug penetration into the prostate are outlined. Analyzing the concentrations of various fluoroquinolones in urine, prostatic and seminal fluid, and in prostatic tissue, it becomes obvious that the fluoroquinolones differ in plasma concentrations and in their concentrations at these sites. Nevertheless, overall, the concentrations at the site of infection of most of the fluoroquinolones should be sufficient for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis and vesiculitis and recurrent urinary tract infection in men caused by susceptible pathogens.     

Fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agents in the treatment of prostatitis and recurrent urinary tract infections in men

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is the most frequent cause for recurrent urinary tract infection in young and middle-aged men. The selection of an appropriate antimicrobial agent that has optimal pharmacokinetics for urine and prostatic secretion and tissue is important in both entities. Fluoroquinolones possess several pharmacologic characteristics that favor them for treatment of urinary tract infection and prostatitis. The pharmacokinetics of fluoroquinolones and the theoretical background of drug penetration into the prostate is outlined. Analyzing the concentrations of various fluoroquinolones in urine, prostatic and seminal fluid, and in prostatic tissue, it becomes obvious that the fluoroquinolones differ in plasma concentrations and in their concentrations at these sites. Nevertheless, overall, the concentrations at the site of infection of most of the fluoroquinolones should be sufficient for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis and vesiculitis and recurrent urinary tract infection in men caused by susceptible pathogens.     

Prostate Related Urinary Tract Infections

Usually both acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis can be successfully treated with a 28-day course of fluoroquinolones. However, a significant portion of men will develop a recurrent infection. Host factors such as diabetes and urinary tract manipulation predispose patients to develop chronic bacterial prostatitis or an abscess. Pathogen factors such as the ability to form a biofilm and antibiotic resistance also lead to failures. Difficulty achieving adequate antibiotic concentration in prostatic tissue and more virulent bacteria are just two of the factors that make the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis more complex and less successful than the treatment of acute bacterial prostatitis. Increasing resistance to fluoroquinolones among bacteria in the Enterobacteraceae family may make treating chronic bacterial prostatitis even more challenging in the future.     

A study of IgA.IgG titers for C. trachomatis in serum and prostatic secretion of chronic prostatitis

In order to study the correlation between chronic prostatitis and C. trachomatis, IgA and IgG titers for C. trachomatis in serum and prostatic secretion were measured using the indirect immunoperoxidase assay (Ipazyme Chlamydia). 1) Positive rate of IgA and IgG titers in serum and prostatic secretion was higher in cases of chronic prostatitis than that in cases of suspected chronic prostatitis or the normal male group. 2) In cases of chronic prostatitis, IgA titers showed a tendency to be high in prostatic secretion, and IgG titers showed the same tendency in serum. This result was considered C. trachomatis infection was appeared local immunization in prostate. 3) After treatments with DOXY for cases of positive IgA titers in prostatic secretion, IgA titers of those cases were decreased and inflammations of prostate were cured. 4) The positive rate of IgA and IgG titers in serum was higher in wives with IgA positive cases than in those with the IgA negative. Those results suggested that chronic prostatitis was correlated by C. trachomatis.     

泌尿生殖道疾患与沙眼衣原体感染的相关性研究

对155例慢性前列腺炎患者，52例非前列腺炎的其它泌尿生殖遣疾患和正常人对照；123例宫颈炎患者、52例正常育龄妇女对照，30例疗后复查患者，同时进行沙眼衣原体（Ct）PCR检测。结果显示：慢性前列腺炎患者的前列腺液Ct阳性率为27.1％（42／155），而且均为非细菌性前列腺炎，对照组皆为阴性，二者具有非常显著性差异。对53例在前列腺按摩前初始尿和尿道脱落的上皮细胞，PCR结果：9例仅前列腺液阳性，3例仅尿液阳性，3例前列腺液与尿液同时阳性．其余皆为阴性，这结果似可说明，前列腺液的Ct主要来源于前列腺并非来源于尿道。123例宫颈炎患者的宫颈分泌物Ct阳性率为31．7％（39／123）．52例正常育龄妇女，Ct阳性单为3．8％（2／52）．从显示的阳性率来看．二者具有非常显著性差异（P＜0．01）。30例PCR阳性的疗后复查患者Ct皆转为阴性。     

The etiology and management of acute prostatitis

Acute bacterial prostatitis is a common and clinically important genitourinary disorder. Patient populations who are at especially high risk of acute prostatitis include those with diabetes, cirrhosis, and suppressed immune systems. The cause is usually an ascending infection, but bacteria can also be introduced during transrectal prostate biopsy. Clinical presentation ranges from mild lower urinary tract symptoms to full sepsis. The causative organisms are usually similar to those that cause other common genitourinary infections, and include Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. Oral or intravenous antibiotics are usually effective for curing the infection and progression to chronic bacterial prostatitis is, therefore, uncommon. Immunosuppressed patients require special consideration, as bacterial prostatitis in these patients can be caused by atypical infecting organisms and might, therefore, require additional therapies. A lack of response to standard therapy can lead to complications such as a prostatic abscess or fistula.     

Economic impact of chronic prostatitis

There are four types of prostatitis, including type I (acute bacterial prostatitis), type II (chronic bacterial prostatitis), type III (chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, or CP/CPPS), and type IV (asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis). These prostatitis conditions account for approximately 2 million office visits each year to primary care physicians and urologists. The annual cost to treat prostatitis is approximately $84 million. Compared with control subjects, men with prostatitis incur significantly greater costs, predominantly due to increased outpatient visits and pharmacy expenses. CP/CPPS is the most common type of prostatitis. The condition is characterized by chronic, idiopathic pelviperineal pain. Due to the lack of effective treatments for CP/CPPS, the per-person costs associated with the condition are substantial and are similar to those reported for peripheral neuropathy, low back pain, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis. Costs appear to be higher in men with more severe symptoms. Indirect costs (eg, work and productivity loss) are incurred by many patients with CP/CPPS. Identification of effective treatments for CP/CPPS would be expected to substantially reduce the costs associated with the condition.     

Complications of Chronic Prostatitis

Chronic prostatitis (CP) is a pelvic condition in men that needs to be distinguished from other forms of prostatitis, such as acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis. CP is characterized by pelvic or perineal pain lasting longer than 3 months without evidence of urinary tract infection. Symptoms may wax and wane and pain may radiate to the back and perineum, causing discomfort while sitting. Dysuria, frequency, urgency, arthralgia, myalgia, unexplained fatigue, abdominal pain, and burning sensation in the penis may be present. Post-ejaculatory pain, mediated by nerves and muscles, is a hallmark of the condition and serves to distinguish CP/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) patients from men with benign prostatic hyperplasia and healthy men. Some patients report low libido, sexual dysfunction, and erectile difficulties. The symptoms of CP/CPPS appear to result from interplay between psychological factors and dysfunction in the immune, neurological, and endocrine systems. Some researchers have suggested that CPPS is a form of painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC). Therapies shown to be effective in treating IC/PBS (eg, quercetin) have shown some efficacy in CP/CPPS. Recent research has focused on genomic and proteomic aspects of the related conditions. There are no definitive diagnostic tests for CP/CPPS. This is a poorly understood disorder, even though it accounts for 90% to 95% of prostatitis diagnoses. Its peak incidence is in men 35 to 45 years old. In 2007, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases began using the umbrella term urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes to refer to pain syndromes associated with the bladder (eg, IC/PBS) and prostate gland (eg, CP/CPPS). The prognosis for CP/CPPS has improved greatly with the advent of multimodal treatment, including phytotherapy, pelvic nerve myofascial trigger point release, anxiety control, and chronic pain therapy.     

Managing prostatitis in the elderly

Bacterial prostatitis is primarily a disease of elderly men, and it is the most common urinary tract infection seen in this age group. Urosepsis from prostatitis or prostatic abscess occurs less frequently than with urological manipulation, but must always be considered in elderly men with prostatitis. This article focuses on the diagnosis and antibiotic treatment of bacterial prostatitis in the elderly.     

Studies on the role of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in prostatitis

It has definitely been demonstrated that Ureaplasma urealyticum is one etiologic agent of nongonococcal urethritis, a sexually transmitted disease. For this reason it seemed possible that the organisms might cause ascending inflammatory reactions of the prostate. Quantitative determinations of ureaplasmas and Mycoplasma hominis, together with localization studies, were therefore performed to elucidate the importance of these microorganisms in patients with chronic prostatitis. U. urealyticum was found in high numbers in expressed prostatic secretions and urine voided after prostatic massage from 82 (13.7%) of 597 patients with chronic prostatitis. Because numbers of ureaplasmas in first-voided urine and midstream urine were significantly lower, the source of the organisms in these patients was assumed to be the prostate. These data and the results of tetracycline treatment provide sufficient evidence for the etiologic importance of ureaplasmas in chronic prostatitis.     

Experimental models for determination of antimicrobials in prostatic tissue, interstitial fluid and secretion.

Two new animal models were used to evaluate the usefulness of several antimicrobials for the treatment of bacterial prostatitis. An experimental bacterial prostatis was created in dogs and the concentraion of six antimicrobials (erythromycin, rosamicin, trimethoprim, sulphamethoxazole, ampicillin and doxycycline) measured in plasma and prostatic secretion and their concentration ratios compared to previous studies in healthy dogs. Prostatic interstitial fluid concentrations of the three basic drugs (erythromycin, rosamicin, trimethoprim) were determined from samples obtained from implanted tissue chambers. At the same time samples of plasma, prostatic secretion and urine were collected and their concentration ratios compared. Drug levels in prostatic secretion of dogs with infected prostatic glands were different from those without inflammation, but the same mechanism of drug diffusion into the prostatic secretion seems to be active during infection. Prostatic interstitial fluid concentrations of the three basic drugs were always lower than the simultaneous prostatic secretion levels. These findings may have clinical application in the treatment of bacterial prostatitis.     

Sacral neuromodulation for the treatment of overactive bladder in men

Neuromodulation, particularly in the form of sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), has gained acceptance for treatment of patients with refractory symptoms of overactive bladder and nonobstructive urinary retention. Thus far it has most commonly been used in women, so its use specifically in men has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. A selective expert review of the current literature on the subject of overactive bladder in men using MEDLINE was performed and the topic is summarized. We performed a subanalysis of male-specific outcomes from multicenter trials in which we were a participant. We also review our own institution’s experience using SNS in men over the past 10 years. SNS has proven to be a safe, effective, and durable treatment for patients with refractory overactive bladder and nonobstructive urinary retention, with male patients responding as well as female patients. Further studies are needed to address the efficacy of SNS for the treatment of men with chronic pelvic pain, chronic prostatitis, and prostatodynia.     

The economic impact of chronic prostatitis

BACKGROUND: Little information exists on the economic impact of chronic prostatitis. The objective of this study was to determine the direct and indirect costs associated with chronic prostatitis. METHODS: Outcomes were assessed using a questionnaire designed to capture health care resource utilization. Resource estimates were converted into unit costs with direct medical cost estimates based on hospital cost-accounting data and indirect costs based on modified labor force, employment, and earnings data from the US Census Bureau. RESULTS: The total direct costs for the 3 months prior to entry into the cohort, excluding hospitalization, were $126 915 for the 167 study participants for an average of $954 per person among the 133 consumers. Of the men, 26% reported work loss valued at an average of $551. The average total costs (direct and indirect) for the 3 months was $1099 per person for those 137 men who had resource consumption with an expected annual total cost per person of $4397. For those study participants with any incurred costs, tests for association revealed that the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (P<.001) and each of the 3 subcategories of pain (P =.003), urinary function (P =.03), and quality-of-life (P =.002) were significantly associated with resource use, although the quality-of-life subscale score from the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index was the only predictor of resource consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic prostatitis is associated with substantial costs and lower quality-of-life scores, which predicted resource consumption. The economic impact of chronic prostatitis warrants increased medical attention and resources to identify and test effective treatment strategies.