Korean J Urol.  2012 May;53(5):330-334.

The Prevalence and Characteristic Differences in Prostatic Calcification between Health Promotion Center and Urology Department Outpatients

• Hong CG
• Yoon BI
• Choe HS
• Ha US
• Sohn DW
• Cho YH

Abstract

PURPOSE
We evaluated the differences in calculi characteristics and their prevalence according to the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms between adult patients examined at the Urology Department and those examined at the Health Promotion Center (HPC).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The prevalence of prostatic calcification, characteristics of calculi (number, size, and location), and differences in lower urinary tract symptoms were compared and analyzed for 479 subjects who underwent transrectal ultrasonography at the HPC and the Urology Outpatients Department at our hospital from October 2009 to October 2010.
RESULTS
Of 479 subjects, 268 patients were examined at the HPC, and 211 were examined at the Urology Outpatients Department. Between the two groups, age, prostate-specific antigen levels, prostate volume transrectal ultrasonography, International Prostate Symptom Score (total, voiding, and storage), quality of life, and the prostatic calcification rate were significantly higher in the patients who visited the Urology Outpatients Department. The prevalence of prostatic calcification was 41.5% (199/479), with 36.1% (97/268) from the HPC and 48.3% (102/211) from the Urology Outpatients Department. When the characteristics of prostatic calcification were compared, there were no significant differences in the appearance, size, or location of the calculi between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of prostatic calcification was high in patients complaining of lower urinary tract symptoms; however, there were no significant differences in the characteristics of the calculi. This finding leads us to believe that prostatic calcification can aggravate lower urinary tract symptoms but does not result in differences according to the number, size, or appearance of the calculi.

Keyword

Calcification; Prostate; Symptoms

MeSH Terms

Adult
Calculi
Health Promotion
Humans
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
Outpatients
Prevalence
Prostate
Prostate-Specific Antigen
Quality of Life
Urinary Tract
Urology
Prostate-Specific Antigen

Figure

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  FIG. 1 (A) Prostate calcification. (B) Multiple prostate calcifications. (C) Measurement of the size of the prostate calcification. (D) Measurement of the size of the prostate calcification when multiple calcifications were present. (E) Central prostate calcification. (F) Peripheral prostate calcification (left, coronal view; right, sagittal view).

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