Is There an Association Between Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen Values and Serum Testosterone Levels in Healthy Men?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between levels of total testosterone and total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in healthy men with PSA or =50 years. RESULTS: In all patients, the mean values for serum PSA and total testosterone were 1.27+/-0.88 ng/mL and 404.04+/-158.86 ng/mL, respectively. No correlation was detected between serum PSA and testosterone levels in either subgroup (group I, r=0.072, p=0.363; group II, r=0.031, p=0.900) or in patients aged or =50 years and in patients aged <50 years were 417.01+/-163.35 and 344.16+/-120.21 ng/dL, respectively (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: No impact of testosterone was found on the PSA level in healthy men with PSA <4 ng/mL. Therefore, a high serum testosterone level may not mandate adjustment of PSA values. This serum sex hormone showed a significant increment after the age of 50 years. Further studies including a larger number of patients should be carried out to confirm these findings.

Prostate Metastasis of Malignant Melanoma

Metastatic malignant melanoma of the prostate is extremely rare in clinical practice, and only one case has been reported in the English literature in the past 30 years. We report a case of malignant melanoma that metastasized to the prostate and review the current literature. A 50-year-old man with a history of malignant melanoma metastasis to the left axilla, which was excised 3 years ago, presented with lower urinary tract symptoms and gross hematuria. He underwent cystoscopy and transurethral resection of the prostate. The pathological examination showed metastatic malignant melanoma of the prostate gland. The patient died 6 months after the transurethral resection.

Transient Distal Penile Corporoglanular Shunt as an Adjunct to Aspiration and Irrigation Procedures in the Treatment of Early Ischemic Priapism

PURPOSE: Ischemic priapism, a compartment syndrome, requires urgent treatment in order to nourish the corpora cavernosa. As the first step, aspiration of blood and irrigation of the cavernosal bodies is performed to prevent fibrotic activity and secure erectile capability. During aspiration, there are risks of cardiovascular side effects of adrenergic agonists. We aimed to evaluate a transient distal penile corporoglanular shunt technique in place of aspiration and irrigation techniques for treatment of early ischemic priapism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A transient distal penile shunt was applied to 15 patients with early ischemic priapism between January 2011 and May 2012. Priapism duration, history, causes, pain, and any prior management of priapism were assessed in all patients. A complete blood count and penile Doppler ultrasonography were performed, which showed attenuated blood flow in the cavernosal artery. A sterile closed system blood collection set, which has two needles and tubing, was used for the transient distal penile shunt. RESULTS: Ten of 15 patients with early ischemic priapism were successfully treated with this transient shunt technique. No additional procedures were needed after the resolution of rigidity in the 10 successfully treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: The transient nature of this technique is an advantage over aspiration and irrigation in the treatment of early ischemic priapism. Our results indicate that the technique can be offered for patients with an ischemic priapism episode of no more than 7 hours.