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Intraprostatic Treatment for Chronic Prostatitis

Chronic prostatitis is a medical condition that causes swelling and inflammation in a man's prostate gland. Patients with chronic prostatitis may experience symptoms that develop slowly and continue for an extended period of time. Doctors may use intraprostatic treatments for this disorder, including transurethral resection of a patient's prostate gland if less invasive forms of treatment are not effective.

  1. Chronic Prostatitis

    • Men with chronic prostatitis may experience hesitancy in urination, reduced urine stream volume and an increased frequency of urination. Burning or pain during urination, bloody urine and urinary incontinence may occur with this condition. Chronic prostatitis has several causes, including bacterial infections, fungal infections and urine backup into the prostate gland. Men over 30 years of age, patients with injuries in the area between the anus and scrotum and men who drink excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages have an increased risk of developing chronic prostatitis.

    Transurethral Resection

    • Physicians may recommend an intraprostatic method of treatment such as transurethral resection of the prostate gland, or TURP, for men with chronic prostatitis. A surgeon inserts a thin narrow tool such as a cystoscope through the urethra and into the prostate gland. A special tool in the cystoscope removes a piece of the prostate with an electrical current. The surgeon removes additional pieces of the prostate to reduce inflammation of the gland.

    Transurethral Resection Risks

    • Transurethral resection of a man's prostate has several potential risks including infertility, erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Retrograde ejaculation may occur after a TURP procedure and cause semen to pass into a man's bladder instead of through the urethra. This surgical procedure carries risks common to other types of surgery, including infection, blood loss and breathing difficulties. Patients receive general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia during a TURP procedure and may experience a reaction to anesthesia.

    Other Treatments

    • Physicians may prescribe antibiotics to men with chronic bacterial prostatitis. A doctor may treat this condition with prostatic massage, a form of therapy where the physician massages the prostate through the anus with a lubricated gloved finger. Patients may receive heat therapy with a microwave device that treats the prostate gland. Patients with restricted urine flow may require a suprapubic catheter that attaches to the bladder through the abdomen.

    Prostatitis Testing

    • Physicians conduct a physical examination to help them diagnose chronic prostatitis and they look for signs such as urethra discharge, prostate enlargement and enlarged lymph nodes in the groin area. Doctors collect urine samples and send to them a laboratory for urine analysis. Physicians may also test a man's semen and prostate secretions. Patients may undergo a prostate specific antigen blood test and an ultrasound of the prostate area to identify causes of chronic prostatitis symptoms.

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