Comparison of Prostatic Volume Measured with Abdominal Ultrasound and Prostatic Weight Determined after Open Enucleation Performed in Gondar University Hospital, Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common surgical problem accounting for 20% of elective admissions in our surgical ward. Abdominal ultrasound has been reported as an accurate modality for the measurement of prostatic size. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of abdominal ultrasound measurement of prostatic size. Patients and Methods: In this prospective study 53 patients with clinically diagnosed BPH scheduled for enucleation of the prostate underwent pre-operative measurement of the prostate by abdominal ultrasound. Enucleation of the prostate was done via the transvesical approach, and the enucleated tissue was weighed. The results of both measurements were compared using the Epi-Info 2000 software. For the determination of the correlation coefficient we used Fisher's exact test. Results: The mean volume of the prostate gland measured by abdominal ultrasound was 68 ± 37.6 cc, while the mean weight of the resected gland was 49.4 ± 29.7 gm (correlation coefficient r=0.72; p= 0.001). Conclusion: There is a statistically significant correlation between the prostatic volume measured by abdominal ultrasound and prostatic weight determined at open surgery. Abdominal ultrasonography can be used for pre-operative assessment of prostatic size.

Africain Journal of Urology Vol. 14 (2) 2008: pp. 86-89