Chronic hematospermia: assessment by transrectal ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate transrectal ultrasound in the assessment of chronic hematospermia.

METHODS

Twenty-six patients aged between twenty-five and seventy-seven years (mean, 55.6 years) presenting with persistent hematospermia of an average duration of 10.2 months (range, 3 to 20 months) underwent transrectal ultrasound. Twenty-five asymptomatic men aged thirty-nine to eighty-two years (mean, 63 years) self-referred to our institution seeking transrectal ultrasound as a screening method for prostate cancer and with no previous history of hematospermia were used as controls.

RESULTS

Significant sonographic findings not present in the control group were detected in 24 patients with hematospermia. These consisted of dilated seminal vesicles in 8, ejaculatory duct cysts in 4, ejaculatory or seminal vesicle calculi in 4, the presence of ejaculatory duct and seminal vesicle dilatation in 4, seminal vesicle cysts with ipsilateral renal agenesis and absence of the vas in 2, and an intraprostatic müllerian duct remnant in 2. Of the patients having biopsies, none was found to have malignancy.

CONCLUSIONS

Transrectal ultrasound is the imaging modality of choice in the assessment of chronic hematospermia.