Prostate Conditions

The prostate is a gland that surrounds the urethra (or tube that carries urine from the bladder) and produces the fluid that is combined with sperm to make semen. As you age, your prostate grows larger, increasingly putting more and more pressure on the urethra. If your prostate gets too large, then urological problems can result.

Such problems can be painful, extremely inconvenient, and sometimes life-threatening. Protecting your prostate means protecting your quality of life and that is the mission behind Academic Urology & Urogynecology of Arizona. The Urologists at our practice offer male patients suffering from prostate conditions, infertility, incontinence, and other urological issues more treatment options than ever before from laser treatment for an enlarged prostate to a da Vinci® robotic prostatectomy surgery for prostate cancer.

Male Urological Problems Associated with the Prostate Gland Include:

• Prostatitis An inflammation of the prostate that may be caused by an infection.
• Enlarged Prostate (also called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or simply BPH) The prostate grows in two different ways: cells multiply around the urethra and squeeze it; cells grow into the urethra and the bladder outlet area.
• Prostate Cancer A form of cancer that develops in the prostate when cancerous (or malignant) cells grow out of control.

Whether your male prostate problems pertain to infection, enlargement, or malignancy, Academic Urology & Urogynecology of Arizona can provide you with an accurate diagnosis, so that the most suitable treatment can be administered. Diagnosis of a prostate condition is made through a variety of tools, and depending on the condition, may include a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) to assess the size, shape, and consistency of the gland and blood tests to check the levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) produced by the cells of the prostate capsule (membrane covering the prostate). Urodynamic tests may be ordered to measure the volume and pressure of urine in the bladder and to evaluate the flow of urine.

Treatment for prostatitis depends on the type – acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic prostatitis without infection, and asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis – but generally consists of a prescription for an antibiotic, and in some cases an antidepressant. Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BHP) treatment options include prescription medications, microwave ablation, and green light laser ablation. Prostate cancer treatment options consist of surgery, chemotherapy, cryotherapy, brachytherapy, hormonal therapy, and/or radiation. In some cases, our Urologists – working in collaboration with other surgeons – may recommend da Vinci® surgery, such as robotic radical prostatectomy or nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy.