ISSN:
1442-2042
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Aim: Non-bacterial prostatitis is difficult to manage with conventional treatment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effect of transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) on men with chronic inflammatory non-bacterial prostatitis.Methods: Thirty-two patients with non-bacterial prostatitis (type IIIa) were treated with TUNA. The TUNA procedure, which uses radiofrequency energy, heats the prostate tissue to approximately 90–110°C over a 5-min period. Evaluation consisted of a prostatitis symptom severity score chart, the monitoring of the leukocyte count in the expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) and a subjective global assessment.Results: The decrease in the prostate symptom severity score chart at 3 and 6 months compared with the baseline assessment was statistically significant. Analysis of the leukocyte levels in the EPS in 14 patients was available. All 14 patients had a decrease in the EPS leukocyte count 3 months after treatment. However, six of these men (43%) still had EPS leukocyte levels above the normal indices (〉10 white blood cells per high-power field). A second session of TUNA on these partial responders resulted in three of the six men obtaining a normal EPS leukocyte count. At 6 months following treatment, complete, partial and poor improvement in terms of subjective global assessment were noted in 60, 35 and 5% of patients, respectively. No major complications, including those of sexual dysfunction or retrograde ejaculation, were noted in this cohort.Conclusions: Transurethral needle ablation appears to be an easy, safe and effective treatment for men with chronic inflammatory non-bacterial prostatitis.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-2042.2004.00751.x
