Abstract
Background and Objectives: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in elderly men that causes lower urinary tract obstruction and bladder wall thickness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between bladder wall thickness and clinical findings in these patients before and after prostatectomy.
Materials and Methods: In an interventional study, 25 patients with BPH presenting with lower urinary tract obstruction were pre- and postoperatively evaluated with regard to the bladder wall thickness, prostate volume, post-void residual volume (PVR), IPSS (International Prostatic Symptom Score), and uroflowmetry (Q-max).
Results: The mean age of the patients was 69.24±9.12 years. Before and after prostatectomy, there was a significant difference between the bladder wall thickness (P=0.004), IPSS (P<0.01) and PVR (P=0.011) values. After prostatectomy, the mean Q-max increased from 6.52±2.55 ml/s to 16.16±5.07 ml/s (P<0.01). There was a significant correlation between the bladder wall thickness and the prostate volume (P=0.044) and between the bladder wall thickness and age (P<0.01).
Conclusion: Evaluation of the bladder wall thickness before and after prostatectomy clearly demonstrated a high degree of correlation with bladder obstruction and relief symptoms. However, more studies are needed to show a significant correlation with IPSS.