Is Prostate Calcification On Ultrasound A Sign Of Prostatitis?
When an ultrasound during a physical examination or hospital visit shows prostate calcification, the doctor just says it is related to past prostatitis and does not give more analysis. However, the patient is very worried about whether there is something wrong with their prostate. Is it cancerous? What is the relationship between prostate calcification and prostatitis? How should I treat it? All of these questions will be answered here for you one by one.
1. What is prostate calcification?
Calcification of the prostate, also known as prostate stones, refers to stones originating in the prostate gland, the glandular follicles, and the glandular ducts; generally, small ones are called calcifications, and slightly larger ones are called stones. Its formation is characterized by the following features:
The prostate has been injured: Calcification is one of the final ways in which the body's tissues degenerate after injury and necrosis, and regardless of the cause of focal necrosis of the prostate, it may eventually form a calcification. These injurious factors may include inflammation, trauma, and medical injury, the more common of which is prostatitis.
The age and location of prostate calcification are uncertain: Because the age at which prostate injury occurs is uncertain, and focal necrosis can occur anywhere in the prostate, the age and location of prostate calcification are uncertain, and the location is most common within the prostate parenchyma. The presence of calcified spots can indicate that the prostate may have been damaged or infected with inflammation. However, it is unknown when the infection occurred or what kind of bacterial infection it was.
Calcification of the prostate takes time to develop: Although calcification of the prostate can suggest that the prostate has been damaged, it does not diagnose the presenting symptoms and can only be used as a reference for past medical history, which suggests that you may have had prostatitis in the past.
2. What is the relationship between prostate calcification and prostatitis?
There is a close relationship between calcified prostate foci and prostatitis. Prostatitis is one of the common causes of prostate calcification. Inflammation of the prostate gland in men can cause localized tissue damage, and the prolonged inflammatory response can lead to necrosis of the prostate tissue and the eventual formation of calcified spots. Calcified spots are actually the products of calcium salt deposits in the tissue, and they are an after-effect of inflammatory damage to the prostate.
In patients with chronic prostatitis, localized glandular tissue and ducts are frequently damaged due to prolonged bacterial infection or non-bacterial inflammatory response within the prostate. During the inflammatory process, calcium salts and phosphates in the prostate fluid are gradually deposited to form foci of calcification and even further develop into stones. These calcified foci and stones may become a breeding ground for bacteria, leading to repeated episodes of inflammation, thus forming a vicious cycle. For many prostatitis patients, calcified foci of the prostate are a sign of long-term prostatitis.
3. How to treat prostate calcification?
Due to the special nature of the prostate structure, there is generally no better treatment for calcification and stones, and generally, asymptomatic people do not need to be treated. Whether to treat or not, there are the following principles.
1. Most prostate calcification foci, especially those without obvious symptoms, usually do not need special treatment.
2. If there are lower urinary tract symptoms, such as frequent urination, urinary urgency, urinary pain, and difficulty in urination, and combined with prostatitis or prostatic hyperplasia, appropriate medication, such as Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill, can be administered according to the principles of prostatitis or prostatic hyperplasia treatment. It can relieve the inflammation of the prostate gland and reduce the symptoms through diuretic and anti-inflammatory, clearing heat and removing toxins.
3. For some special prostate calcification, such as stones at the opening of the ejaculatory duct, if the patient has obstructive azoospermia or persistent hematospermia, and after other factors have been ruled out, surgical treatment can be considered. Surgery usually involves the removal of the stone through a transurethral approach.
Recommended Readings:
Is It Necessary to Test Prostate Fluid When Diagnosing Prostatitis?
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