ABSTRACT
To assess the prevalence of infection and colonization of the prostate by bacteria, chip tissue samples from 166 patients undergoing retropubic prostatectomy were submitted for bacterial tissue culture. In 28 patients with an indwelling catheter before surgery, E. coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas and Enterobacter were the commonest species encountered, the first the most common. In only 7 patients (20%) who didn't have an indwelling catheter before operation was the culture positive. We confirmed that the longer the time the catheter was indwelling before surgery, the greater the likelihood of positive cultures. However, postoperative outcome and morbidity were not related to culture results. We conclude that even though it is worth trying to sterilize the urine and prostate before prostatectomy, the effect on the postoperative outcome is minimal when proper antimicrobial therapy is given perioperatively.
