ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate ultrasonically determined bladder wall thickness (BWT) and prostatic calcification presence, in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), and to correlate the findings with patient characteristics and the urinary, psychosocial dysfunction, organ specific, infection and neurological/systemic symptoms, and tenderness (UPOINT) classification system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 2008 and December 2017, data of 1294 patients diagnosed with chronic prostatitis, in a single urology clinic, meeting a number of selective inclusion/exclusion criteria, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients, compliant to fill out all requested questionnaires, between the ages of 21-65 years were included to the study. Exclusion criteria were noncompliance of filling out required questionnaires, acute and/or chronic bacterial prostatitis, history of genitourinary cancer, history of recent prostate surgery, and diagnosis of neurological diseases affecting the bladder. RESULTS: The median patient age and UPOINT subdomain was determined as 37 (IQRâ¯=â¯13, range 21-65) and 2 (IQRâ¯=â¯1, range 0-5), respectively. Median values for BWT, National Institute of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), and International Index of Erectile Function were 3 (IQRâ¯=â¯1, range 2-6, 7), 4 (IQRâ¯=â¯6, range 1-23), and 25 (IQRâ¯=â¯10, range 1-30), respectively. The presence of calcification demonstrated a significant association with total NIH-CPSI score and BWT, whereas its relation with age and total UPOINT score was insignificant. However in contrast to calcification status, BWT ≥3.3 showed a strong and statistically significant relation to all the described measurements. CONCLUSION: Measurement of BWT can be used as an accessible and objective method for the diagnose of CP/CPPS according to UPOINT scoring system.
