ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To study the effect of acute urinary retention on the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Blood samples from 34 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with acute urinary retention were drawn immediately before suprapubic cystomy and 48 hours after relief of urinary retention. Serum PSA concentrations were measured with radioimmunoassay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean serum PSA levels of BPH patients with acute urinary retention was (24.6 +/- 16.1) micrograms/L (range from 2.6 micrograms/L to 45.8 micrograms/L). Forty-eight hours after relief of urinary retention, the mean serum PSA levels declined to (9.4 +/- 6.3) micrograms/L (range from 1.7 micrograms/L to 16.6 micrograms/L). The difference was significant (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Acute urinary retention could dramatically increase the serum PSA value of patients with BPH. After relief of the urinary retention, the patients had a great than 50% decreased of PSA values.</p>