The prostate is an organ that secretes the fluid that helps nourish the sperm and transport them during ejaculation.
The prostate gland, which is located at the very beginning of the urinary tract leaving the bladder and surrounds the urinary tract, begins to grow with age. As this growth moves towards the inner part, towards the urinary tract, the patient begins to complain of difficulty in urinating. Since the urine cannot be emptied completely, the bladder capacity used decreases and the patient begins to urinate frequently and to urinate at night.
The prostate gland, which is normally the size of a walnut and weighs about 20 grams, can sometimes become as large as a grapefruit. If the growth is always towards the outside, the patient may not have any complaints about urination.
What Does Enlarged Prostate Mean?
Benign enlargement of the prostate (BPH), which usually begins to show symptoms after the age of 50, is not cancer. . It is seen in half of the patients over the age of 60 and in 90% of the patients over the age of 85. There is only an enlargement of the prostate tissue. This situation does not prepare the ground for the development of cancer.
BPH (benign prostate enlargement) is not a cancer disease of the prostate. However, both BPH and prostate cancer can be seen in the same prostate. It must be investigated.
What Could Be the Symptoms?
- Difficulty in starting urination
- Frequent urination (especially at night)
- Feeling that the bladder is not completely emptied
- Sudden strong need to urinate
- Weak urine stream, intermittent, interrupted urination
- Difficulty or straining while urinating
- Urinary dribbling or leakage
- Pain or burning while urinating
“Since the changes related to difficulty in urinating begin to progress very slowly, patients They usually do not feel or do not care about this change.
What can be observed in delayed cases?
- Weak bladder
- Bladder and kidney infections
- Completely Becoming unable to urinate
- Restrained urine begins to expand the urinary tract
- Kidney failure
How is Prostate Enlargement Diagnosed?
As prostate cancer may also occur at the same time and prostate cancer has its own early symptoms. Since there are no symptoms, this aspect should also be investigated during the examinations.
Serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing
- Is important in the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer
Prostate biopsy is performed at significantly high values.
Finger prostate examination
- Important in the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer
- The consistency, symmetry and size of the prostate are evaluated
Nodule (partial hard tissue) is investigated
Ultrasonographic examination
- Prostate cancer Important in differential diagnosis
- It gives information about the internal structure and size of the prostate.
Urinary tests
- Infection Its presence is investigated
Urine flow measurement (Uroflowmetry)
- It provides information about the speed, duration and pressure of urine flow.
Determination of the amount of urine remaining in the bladder after urination
- Normally, the bladder must be completely emptied after urination.
Cystopanendoscopy (Examination of the bladder and lower urinary tract with optical devices)
- Are the complaints really due to the prostate growing into the urinary tract and blocking the tract, or are there urinary tract stenosis that can cause similar complaints? It is directly observed whether it is due to the presence of stones or tumoral formations.
- In addition, the bladder is also examined and the bladder changes and their degree due to difficult urination are evaluated.
“ Blood PSA level, digital prostate examination and ultrasonographic examination are important in the preliminary evaluation of prostate cancer.”
“Two separate patients with similar complaints may not be equally disturbed by their condition. Therefore, is surgery required? If necessary, what type of surgery should be preferred? The answer to these questions is also determined by how uncomfortable patients are with such a situation.”
When you meet with a urologist, he will ask you to answer the following questions:
- What are your complaints?
- How long have they been around?
- How often do they bother you?
- Have they started to get worse?
- Your family Are there any people who have prostate problems?
- Do you have any other health problems?
- Are there any medications you use regularly?
International prostate symptom score test Click here.
What are the Treatment Options for Prostate Enlargement?
The severity of the patient's findings, the presence of additional problems, the age of the patient, as well as the size and shape of the prostate, are also effective in the treatment decision.
In fact, there is no treatment method that is ideal for every patient. Each patient should be evaluated as a separate case and the course of action should be decided together after informing the patient about the treatment methods.
Early symptoms of the prostate starting to block the urinary tract can be eliminated with drug treatments for a while. However, if the complaints begin to appear again after a while despite the medication, or if they are severe from the beginning, such as the patient becoming unable to urinate, an operation is planned directly without trying drug treatment.
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