ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To analyze the volumetric density (Vv) of elastic and reticular fibers in the transition zone of controls and patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: Prostatic tissue samples were obtained from 25 patients (age range 63 to 79 years, mean 68) with clinical symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction who had undergone open prostatectomy. The control group was composed of 25 transition zone samples from prostates obtained during autopsy of adults aged younger than 30 years (killed in accidents). The Vv of the elastic and reticular fibers was determined in 25 random fields per prostate, using the point-count method with an M-42 grid test system. The data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk W, and Mann-Whitney U tests. The Vv of these components was determined by stereologic methods. RESULTS: The Vv in the control and BPH groups was 12.47% +/- 3.6% and 16.55% +/- 9.11% in the elastic system fibers (difference not statistically significant) and 22.75% +/- 1.66% and 29.33% +/- 1.08% in the reticular fibers (difference statistically significant), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Reticular fibers showed a statistically significant increase in the BPH samples, and this finding suggests that stromal network fibers play a significant role in BPH.
