The prostate gland is one of the organs of the reproductive system of the male body. It is a muscular-glandular tissue that has tubular ducts. It is in them that, with the development of pathology, stones are found.
What are stones in the prostate
Stones in the prostate gland are structures of an inorganic or organic nature. Most often, such formations are small in size. However, depending on their parameters, stagnation in organ tissues may occur. Often there is a blockage of the duct.
Solid formations are divided into several groups:
- true that are originally formed in tissues;
- false, which are a crystallized accumulation of various salts that enter the duct of the prostate during the reverse movement of urine from the urogenital canal.
Varieties in chemical structure
A stone in the prostate is a formation that is also classified by its chemical composition. The main difference is the predominance of a particular salt-containing component. At the moment, the following groups of stones are distinguished:
- urate (urinary);
- hardened particles (calcium calculi);
- oxalate (the main component is oxalic acid);
- the formation of phosphate or phosphoric acid.
Some varieties of the compounds mentioned are excreted from the prostate in a natural way: by medication or by crushing them. These include the formation of phosphate, phosphoric, uric and oxalic acids. As for calcium stones in the prostate, they have the most dense structure and solid surface. Such formations are not susceptible to the effects of drugs. Such a stone in the prostate is removed by surgical intervention.
Causes of education
Why are stones formed in the prostate? The treatment of such an ailment depends not only on the size and properties of salt formations. The reason for their occurrence is also taken into account. Most often, stones arise as a result of the inflammatory process of the glandular tissues of the prostate. In this case, a provocative agent must be present. He, in turn, appears due to:
- bacteria, viruses, infectious agents;
- the release of urine into the ducts of the organ from the urogenital canal, which is the reason for the development of a non-microbial inflammatory process.
There are other factors that can affect the occurrence of salt formations. Why do stones appear in the prostate? The reasons may be the following:
- lack of regular sexual contact;
- prostate tissue injury;
- inflammatory process localized in the tissues of the prostate gland ;
- decreased motor activity (causes stagnation in the area of the location of all the organs of the small pelvis);
- excessive use of sulfa drugs;
- salt abuse;
- the presence in the diet of a large amount of fatty and spicy foods.
Dependence of adenoma and the process of stone formation
It is worth noting that prostate adenoma significantly aggravates the patient's condition, since neoplasms can cause stagnation in the organ. In the presence of an inflammatory process, this phenomenon only accelerates the formation of salt deposits in the ducts of the prostate gland. Stones and adenoma are pathologies that depend on each other. If traces of blood were found in the urine or cystitis re-developed, then as a result of the diagnosis, the doctor can detect the simultaneous formation of stones and benign neoplasms. In the presence of such violations, an ultrasound of the prostate is prescribed, preparation for therapy and treatment, which is determined only by specialists.
Symptoms
Should I worry if there is a stone in the prostate? What to do? First of all, you should seek the advice of specialists for an accurate diagnosis. At the first appointment, the patient should tell in detail about his feelings. As for the symptoms, unpleasant sensations can affect not only the sexual, but also the urinary system of the body.
This is due to the fact that the prostate is located near the bladder. To be more precise, immediately after it. In this case, the excretory ducts of the prostate pass through the cavity of the channel intended for urination.
Key features
If there are stones in the prostate, then the patient may experience:
- Pain in the perineum. They can be periodic or permanent.
- During physical exertion, as well as during intercourse, discomfort increases.
- There are impurities of blood in semen.
- Disturbing extraneous sensations during ejaculation.
- Weakened attraction to the opposite sex.
- Some changes in the nature of urination. This is due to narrowing and inflammation of the urogenital canal. For example, a man may be bothered by difficulty or frequent urination.
Symptoms that indicate the presence of stones in the prostate may not be pronounced due to the small size of the stones. The latter are often found in the process of palpation or radiographs.
Diagnostic Methods
When diagnosing a similar pathology, an x-ray is taken. In addition, additional laboratory tests may be prescribed. For example:
- analysis of prostate secretion;
- general examination of urine and blood;
- spermogram.
In some cases, additional tomography or sonography may be prescribed. These methods allow you to visually confirm the presence of salt formations in the prostate. An excretory urography method may be used. In this case, an indicator substance with a directed action is administered to the patient in the vasculature. This study allows you to identify structural abnormalities, as well as organ dysfunctions, reflecting everything on the radiological image.
Types of therapeutic effect
If prostate adenoma is not detected , the symptoms and treatment of which have their own characteristics, then the following procedures can be prescribed to remove stones:
- Therapeutic correction. In this case, drugs with an antimicrobial effect are used that can eliminate the inflammatory process in the tissues, as well as replenish the beneficial components lost by the body.
- Treatment of stones with a beam of magnetic waves or a laser.
- Surgical intervention. In this case, the removal of stones from the prostate is carried out by excision of the tissues of the prostate gland or the organ itself. The method is determined at the diagnostic stage.
Laser application
Laser removal of stones in the prostate is a painless, effective and fairly quick way. Such therapy has its own characteristics. The stones are removed by crushing them with a laser emitting low-intensity waves. This allows you to reduce salt deposits in size (up to grains of sand) in the ducts of the prostate gland.
Are stones in the prostate removed quickly? Laser treatment does not require hospitalization of the patient. When performing the procedure, the integrity of the outer integument is not violated. And this indicates the complete absence of any pain during laser manipulations. Moreover, the duration of such therapy is no more than a quarter of an hour. However, a repeat procedure is required. In some cases, up to 10 times. It all depends on the size, as well as the number of stones.
Drug treatment
A stone in the prostate can also be crushed by taking medications. However, only a narrow specialist can prescribe such a drug. Self-medication in such formations is extremely dangerous. This can lead to undesirable complications. The list of drugs that contribute to the crushing of salt deposits and their removal from the ducts of the prostate includes:
- Nonsteroidal drugs with anti-inflammatory effect: Diclofenac, Meloxicam, Ibuprofen, Nimesulide.
- Antimicrobial agents in the form of tablets: Doxycycline, Norfloxacin, Erythromycin, Ofloxacin. The effectiveness of therapy is determined after laboratory studies of the components of the microflora of urine or a smear taken from the urogenital canal, with the calculation of the susceptibility of bacteria to a particular drug.
- Alpha-adrenergic blocking agents: "Terazonin", "Tansulosin". The use of these drugs allows you to remove the inflammatory process in the tissues of the body and swelling, restore the outflow of urine, and also relieve the patient from pain.
Surgical correction
In some cases, the stone in the prostate can be removed only by removing part of the organ tissue. However, such procedures are prescribed only according to the results of therapeutic correction. If the use of medications has not yielded results, then an ultrasound of the prostate, preparation for surgery and surgical intervention are prescribed. To remove stones, an incision is made in the perineal or pubic tissues.
Also, similar operations are prescribed if a prostate adenoma is diagnosed. Symptoms and treatment of such a disease are individual in each case. Therapy is determined only by the attending physician.
Surgical intervention is performed by dissecting tissues in a specific area. After this, the calculi are removed from the organ. This kind of surgery has its name - adenectomy by draining the suprapubic or perineal pathways. Hospitalization is required to complete the procedure. During the operation, the patient is under general anesthesia.
During surgery, the doctor can remove the entire organ or prostate tissue if there is a large accumulation of stones in them.
Stones in the prostate: consequences
Timely contact with narrow specialists, as well as adequate therapy, can avoid the development of serious complications. The consequences can be unpredictable. Often, an advanced disease leads to:
- sexual dysfunction, which is manifested by impotence;
- infertility
- malignant cell transformation of prostate tissue;
- progression of all signs of adenoma.
Stones in the prostate can lead to significant functional disorders of the male reproductive system. Do not forget that such a pathology has the ability to progress. In some cases, in addition to treatment, the doctor may prescribe a strict diet. The patient should completely abandon salty, smoked, spicy and fatty foods.