Diagnosis
Medical Tests for Prostate ProblemsThe prostate is a walnut-sized gland in men that produces fluid to nurish the sperm. The prostate is located in front of the rectum and just below the bladder, also the prostate surrounds the urethra which urine passes through the canal out of the body. The prostate gland has two or more lobes sections enclosed by an outer layer of prostate tissue.
inflammation or infection of the prostate is the most common prostate problem in men under 50. The disease is called prostatitis. Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, is the most common prostate problem for men over 50.Dfferent prostate problems have similar symptoms. Ffrequent, urgent need to urinate could happen in man with prostatitis and another with BPH. Other men with BPH may have different symptoms. One man may have trouble beginning a stream of urine, while another man may have frequent urination at night.
A man in the early stages of prostate cancer may have no symptoms at all. This confusing symptoms require that a thorough and specific medical exam and testing very important and there may need a series of tests to find out the casuse.
Male urinary tract, front and side views.Talking With Your Doctor
Talk to your dcotor about your problem is the first important step in solving the problem. During consultation, provide the doctor as many details about the problem as possible. Tell the doctor about your urinary tract infections or symptoms such as pain after urination, urges to urinate, hestitancy of urination and weak urine stream. Also please mention the medications you have taken, both prescription drugs or other herbal medicine. The doctor will ask you the medical history, illnesses in the past.
questions with the doctors are as follows:
- How many times a night did you get up to urinate?
- How often have you had a weak urinary stream?
- Sensation of not emptying your bladder completely?
- How often have you had to push or strain to start urinate?
- How often have you had to urinate again?
Your doctors could identify the problem and determine the tests for you. You also may receive some evaluation on your symptoms to see how serious your symptoms are and how effective the treatments are at relieving your symptoms.
Preparing for the ExamDigital rectal exams (DRE) and blood tests for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are the most typical physical exams for you during doctor's consultation.
If the DRE or PSA tests indicates a problem, you will be given additional tests that may require some preparation. you wil be given additional tests that may require you to make some preparation. Ask your doctor or nurse whether you should change your diet or stop taking any medications. If the tests involve inserting instruments into the urethra or rectum, you may be given antibiotics before and after the test to prevent infection.Procedures
DRE
Many doctors perform a DRE exam first, this is a routine physical exam for prostatitis or other urinary problems. You may be asked to lie on your side or bend over a bed and holding your knees clse to your chest. The doctor insert a gloved lubricated finger to the rectum and exam the prostate. The test tells the doctor about the bumps, irregularities, soft spots, or hard spots that require additional tests. If lab tests is needed, the doctor may massages the prostate during the DRE to obtain fluid for examination with a microscope.
Digital rectal exam (DRE).Blood Test PSA
PSA blood test is to rule out cancer cause. THe PSA level is the amount of PSA, a protein produced by prostate with a higer level in blood of prostate cancer. But the increased level of PSA doesn't mean you have cancer. However, a lot remains unknown about how to interpret the PSA test, its ability to discriminate between cancer and benign prostate conditions, and also the best treatment action for high PSA.
PSA enhances detection when added to DRE screening, but PSA tests are known to have relatively high false-positive rates, and they could also identify tumors that is insignificant.
Recent years, deaths from prostate cancer began to decrease, and it is credited to PSA testing. But others think that statistical numbers do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. PSA test ise used first in 1980 for detection of prostate cancer. DRE and PSA exams are being studied to see whether screening couldl decrease the risk of prostate cancer death.
Doctors and patients should consider both the risks of diagnostic tests and PSA testing. The procedure of diagnosis of prostate cancer could cause significant side effects. Some side effects are urinary problems and impotence.Abdominal Ultrasound
Abdominal ultrasound exam is a simple test that a technician sweep a handheld transducer across the area to receive a picture of your genital organs. It can show damage in urinary tract upper from prostate urine blockage.
UrinalysisUrine samples are used for exams with a dipstick to be examined with a microscope. Blood in urine indicate kidney stone or infection or bacteria infections. Urinate into three containers to help identify infection site.
Transrectal Ultrasound
Your doctor may recommend a transrectal ultrasound if prostate cancer is suspected, a proble is inserted into the rectum and directs a high-frequency sound waves at the prostate, and check the echo patterns to form an image of the gland on a television monitor. The image shows size of prostate and irregularities, tumors.
Tumor identification is determined by using a proble and the ultrasound images to guide a biopsy needle to the suspected tumor. A few pieces of prostate tissue for examination with a microscope.
Transrectal ultrasoundComputerized Tomography (CT) Scans and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
These tests can help identify abnormal body structures. MRI and CT scans both use computers to create three-dimensional or cross-sectional images of internal organs. A doctor might use these imaging techniques to determine how far the cancer has spread. MRI and CT scans are very expensive and rarely add other useful information and the usage is very limited to when the PSA score is very high or the DRE suggests an extensive cancer, or both cases.
Cystoscopy
The tube, called a cystoscope, contains a lens and a light system, which allow the doctor to see the inside of the urethra and the bladderthen determine the location and degree of the obstruction. The doctor inserts a small tube through the urethral opening at the tip of the penis.
Results
Results may take a few days and you will have a chance to ask questions about the possible treatments for your case.
Diagnosis of Prostatitis
Since the treatment is very different for the various types of prostatitis syndromes, correct diagnosis is very important. In addition, there could be some other diseases that resemble the symptoms. So it is extremely important to have a correct diagnosis and make sure that the symptoms are not caused by interstitial cystitis, urethritis, an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer or something else.
Complete Blood Count
Blood count is useful in giving more details about the cells and amount of them in blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A complete blood count helps your health professional evaluate syptoms of bruises, fatigue, weakness and anemia, infection and other disorders.
Medical History & Physical Exam
After medical consultation with the doctor. If your doctor suspects that you have prostatitis, he or she will begin with a complete and thorough medical history and physical exam. Remembe that prostatitis is a very serious and complicated disease and that symptoms and your history are not enough for diagnosis. Your doctor will do a series of lab tests to determine the cause of your prostatitis or other genital diseases.Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
PSA is released from prostate gland to the blood. PSA test is used to measure the amount of prostate-specific antigen blood. Healthy men could also have low count of PSA level. The level of PSA increases as prostate enlarges with age, inflammation of prstate gland (prostatits) and prostate cancer.
You may need to think ahead before you have PSA level. If you have a high level of PSA, your next step must be planned ahead. Prostate cancer is normally a slow process and detecting prostate cancer early and treating it could prevent some health problems and redue risk of dying from cancer. Urination, urinary incontinence, inability to have an erection, erectile dysfunction are some complications of prostate cancer treatment. So it is reasonable that some may opt to not treating prostate cancer even it is detected.
Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)
Doctor perform DRE, digital rectal exam to examine the prostate glands. This is a routine exam by inserting a lubricated gloved figner into the rectum and reach the prostate glands. The doctor press the prostate and determine whether the prostate is enlarged or tender. If lumps or hardening or firm areas are found, it indicates the prostate cancer. The doctor also check the pain level and discomfort when press muslces and ligaments of perineum. If a man has prostatitis, this examination will triger momentary pain or discomfort but it causes no damage.
If acute bacterial prostatitis is not identified after physical exam, you may have to undergo expressed prostatic secretions test to dertermine the type of prostatitis you may have.
Proste massage to obtain sample for testing should be avoid because massage is very painful and possibly dangerous. Doctors may think that massage an infected prostate would cause infection of blood.
Urine Culture
Urine culture is usually done if you are suspected of bacterial prostatitis and to find out the presence of this kind of bacteria. A urine culture sample is kept under an optimum conditions to allow it to grow and if organisms grow, it indicate positiveBlood Culture
Detection of blood infection, ie acute bacterial prostatitis, usually the blood don't contain any bacteria or fungi, so if bacteria is present in blood, then the blood culture could detect bacteria.
A sample of blood is used for test in a container with some nutrient that promote the growth. Then it is identified by chemical tests and examined the culture under a microscope. To accurately identify bacteria or fungi, the blood tests would be done for a few times for testing. If no bacteria or fungi is present, the blood culture is called negative.
Transrectal Ultrasound
Transrectal ultrasound is a tool used for getting image of organs. It is a sound wave echoes to create an image to visullay detect for abnormalities. If the physician requires a further information at the prostate glands or biosy, he may need to do the ultrasound test. If you are testing for cancer, your doctor may order PSA test.
stone, tumor, BPH, urethral catheterization bladder outlet obstruction, diabetes mellitus, a suppressed immune system, these are the risk factors. sexually transmitted diseases gonorrhea, nongonnococcal urethritis, are the risk of bacterial prostatitis. Bacteria could enter the urethra and travel to the prostate through anal and vaginal intercourse.
DRE, digital rectal exam, is a testing tool to examine the prostate gland to see if it is swollen, enlarged, or tender. During DRE, the doctor use a gloved finger to your rectum and to examine the texture and surface of prostate glands through the rectal wall, such as shape, texture, consitency, hardening, and size.
Bacteria is the cause of bacterial prostatitis, and usually found in prostate fluid. Urine reflux could also be the cause. Viruses, chlamydia are suggested for the cause for nonbacterial prostatitis.
Signs & Symptoms nlarged Prostate
Symptoms of acute prostatitis
- Increased urinary frequency or urgency
- Difficulty urinating
- Blood in the semen
- Decreased force of urinary stream
- Testicle pain
- Foul-smelling urine
- Blood in the urine
Abdominal pain- Perineal pain (pelvic floor)
- Low back pain
- Urinary retention
- Pain and burning with urination
- Fever
- Chills
- Pain with ejaculation
- Pain with bowel movement
Epididymitis, orchitis, STD, Fever, perineal pain, burning with urination.lower abdominal discomfort, weak urine stream, urinary difficulty, chils and fever, the above are the symtoms and conditions of cause of symptoms.
