Prostatic Pressure

Apparently the first article to report that intraprostatic pressure is higher in men with prostatitis than in controls was this one:

Increased intraprostatic pressure in patients with chronic prostatitis.

Mehik A, Hellstrom P, Lukkarinen O, Sarpola A, Alfthan O. Urol Res. 1999 Aug;27(4):277-9.

Department of Urology, University of Oulu, Fin-90220 Oulu, Finland.

“Intraprostatic pressures were measured in 43 patients. Twenty-four patients had chronic nonbacterial prostatitis (CNP) and prostatic hyperplasia (group A), 10 patients had benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (group B) and 9 patients served as controls (group C).

The pressure measurements were performed with a Stryker pressure monitor under transrectal ultrasonographic control at three different points: perineal subcutaneous tissue, paraprostatic tissue and the apex of the prostate beneath the capsule. Significantly higher intraprostatic pressure values (P < 0.001) were recorded in the patients with CNP compared with the BPH patients or the controls.”

The same group followed that paper with this one:

Prostatic tissue pressure measurement as a possible diagnostic procedure in patients with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Mehik A, Hellstrom P, Lukkarinen O, Sarpola A, Alfthan O. Urol Res. 2000 Oct;28(5):316-8. Department of Surgery, University of Oulu, Finland. amehik@cc.oulu.fi

Forty-two patients and twelve men without any urological complaints or history underwent intraprostatic tissue pressure measurement with a Stryker intracompartmental pressure monitor device under spinal anesthesia.

“Significantly (P < 0.001) higher intraprostatic pressure values were registered at all the three time points in the patients with CNP compared to the controls.”

The authors conclude that increased tissue pressure in the prostate probably results in poor tissue microcirculation and pain.

And the same group published a third paper:

The chronic prostatitis-chronic pelvic pain syndrome can be characterized by prostatic tissue pressure measurements.

Mehik A, Hellstrom P, Nickel JC, Kilponen A, Leskinen M, Sarpola A, Lukkarinen O. J Urol. 2002 Jan;167(1):137-40. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.

48 patients “All patients with the chronic prostatitis-chronic pelvic pain syndrome had significantly higher pressure at all measurement points compared with controls (p <0.001).”

“Mean intraprostatic tissue pressure was significantly higher (p <0.01) in category IIIA with greater than 10 leukocytes per high power field in prostate specific specimens compared with category IIIB with less than 10.”

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