[Diagnosis and treatment of prostatic abscess: Report of 11 cases and review of the literature].

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical features, imaging characteristics, treatment options and prognosis of prostatic abscess (PA), and provide some new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 11 cases of confirmed PA treated in the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital. We analyzed the clinical data obtained from the electronic medical records, including basic demographic statistics, risk factors, clinical symptoms, laboratory results, imaging findings, treatment methods, treatment-related complications and outcomes.

RESULTS

The 11 patients diagnosed with PA between May 2016 and August 2022 were aged (64.18 ± 7.19) years and all had at least 1 comorbidity, including 5 cases of diabetes mellitus (45.5%) and 8 cases of dysuria (72.8%). PA was confirmed in 3 cases by CT and in 8 cases by MRI, 6 (54.5%) multifocal and 10 (90.9%) >2 cm in diameter, with a median size of 3.84 cm. After admission, positive urine culture was found in 3 cases, positive blood culture in 1, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 2 and Enterococcus Faecalis in 1. Three of the patients were treated by intravenous administration of antibiotics alone, and the other 8 by transurethral PA unroofing in addition. Antibiotics medication lasted for a median of (12.9 ± 3.88) d and hospital stay averaged (19.18 ± 8.20) d. The patients were followed up for 3 months, which revealed the presence of PA in 2 of the cases treated with antibiotics alone, but not in any of the cases treated by surgery.

CONCLUSION

PA is relatively rare and has no specific symptoms clinically. Imaging examination is very important for accurate diagnosis, and transurethral PA unroofing plus antibiotics administration could be considered as an optimal management of the disease.