Relationship between Acute Urinary Retention and Intraprostatic Inflammation in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Purpose: Acute or chronic prostatic inflammation exists to varying degrees in surgical specimens of prostates, extirpated for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We investigated the relationship between acute urinary retention (AUR) and intraprostatic inflammation. Materials and Methods: Between January 1997 and December 2006, 221 patients underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for the treatment of BPH. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the indication for surgery; an AUR group and a lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) group. The area of acute inflammation, the extent, and the aggressiveness of chronic inflammation were classified into four grades. The grades of inflammation, prostate volume, age, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and prior medical treatment were compared between the two groups. All specimens were reviewed by one pathologist. Results: The AUR group consisted of 106 (47.9%) patients, and the LUTS group consisted of 115 (52.1%) patients. There were no statistical differences between the two groups with respect to the mean values of the age, prostate size, and severity of chronic inflammation. There was a significant relationship between AUR and the areas of acute inflammation, and the extent of chronic inflammation (p=0.014 and p=0.003, respectively). The aggressiveness of chronic inflammation had no relationship with AUR (p=0.062). The serum PSA level was higher in the AUR group than the LUTS group (11.5 vs. 5.3ng/ml, respectively). Conclusions: The association for AUR with acute and chronic inflammation was stronger than that which existed with prostate size. Thus intraprostatic inflammation is an important risk factor in AUR. (Korean J Urol 2008;49:1081-1086) 󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏