Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: is there a role for local drug infiltration therapy?

The clinical syndrome of chronic prostatitis ranges from well-defined chronic bacterial infections to poorly defined chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), previously referred to as "prostatodynia" or "abacterial prostatitis." Faced with the obscure nature of the disease, its protracted course, and the poor response to oral medication, urologists have considered alternative routes of drug administration. We review the indications and outcomes of local drug infiltration (intraprostatic antibiotic and zinc, intrasphincteric botulinum toxin A, pudendal nerve blocks) and discuss their potential use and benefit in the treatment of chronic prostatitis syndromes.