ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate whether intravesical protrusion of the prostate (IPP) is related to the treatment effect of alpha-1 receptor antagonist in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)/benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with a prostate size of less than 40 g. METHODS: A total of 77 BPH patients over 50 years of age treated with alfuzosin (alpha blocker) were enrolled prospectively. The study included only patients with BPH of 40 g or less. The patients were classified into two groups depending on the presence of IPP at baseline: the IPP group (41 patients) and the non-IPP group (36 patients). Prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), International Prostate Symptom Score and quality of life (IPSS/QoL), maximum flow rate (Qmax), and postvoid residual (PVR) volume were compared between the groups. The clinical significance of IPP was evaluated after the patients had been taking alfuzosin for 8 weeks. RESULTS: PSA and IPSS (total and voiding subscore) showed significant correlations with IPP (P<0.05). Comparison of parameters before and after 8 weeks showed that alfuzosin improved the total IPSS and all subscores (P<0.001), QoL (P<0.001), Qmax (P<0.001), and PVR (P=0.030) in the non-IPP group. CONCLUSIONS: Alfuzosin may be less effective in improving symptom scores, PVR, and Qmax in the treatment of LUTS/BPH in the presence of IPP.