A case of imported melioidosis presenting as prostatitis.

We report a case of melioidosis in a previously healthy Belgian man. He presented with septicemia and prostatic abscesses 1 week after a trip to Vietnam. Burkholderia pseudomallei was isolated from multiple hemocultures. He was treated successfully with intravenous ceftazidime and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, followed by a per-oral maintenance therapy of amoxicillin-clavulanate with supplementary amoxicillin. There was no need for surgical drainage. This is the second reported case of melioidosis in Belgium.

New trends in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and carcinoma of the prostate.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a very common condition affecting over 800,000 American males each year. A standard, effective, and well-proven therapy is prostatectomy. This surgical procedure is used to treat, in the United States, approximately 400,000 BPH patients annually. Major treatment benefit is expected in 70% to 80% of patients. Complications are seen in 20% of the surgically treated patients. Due to the advanced age of BPH patients and the presence of other serious coexisting medical problems, surgical therapy may be difficult to utilize. These patients, who present a high risk for surgery, are in need of alternative treatments. Alternative therapy in BPH patients with clinically important symptoms and signs of urinary outflow obstruction include treatment with pharmacological agents, balloon dilatation, laser beam therapy, transurethral thermal therapy, transrectal microwave hyperthermia, and transurethral microwave hyperthermia. These alternative treatment modalities are currently under intensive study. These new treatment modalities ultimately must be compared with the standard treatment, which is prostatectomy. Due to the unpredictable natural history of BPH, it is desirable that each Phase III study should contain a no-treatment observation-only arm. Adenocarcinoma of the prostate (CaP) has become a tumor, which first in frequency, and second in importance in cancer mortality statistics of American males. Local tumor control rates and long-term survivals, with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, have been excellent. There was, however, recent concern regarding a high incidence of microscopic local tumor recurrence following a definitive course of irradiation. Deep regional or intracavitary hyperthermia (HT) with phase steering may be of value as an adjuvant treatment to radiotherapy. This HT may increase the incidence of local tumor control obtained with radiotherapy. Phase I-II clinical studies are currently underway.

Transurethral microwave hyperthermia for benign prostatic hyperplasia: the Leuven clinical experience.

Local microwave hyperthermia, delivered transurethrally or transrectally, is a new treatment modality for benign prostatic hyperplasia. We started transurethral application, delivering 915-MHz microwaves at the prostatic urethra using a helical microwave antenna incorporated in a Foley catheter. This hyperthermia was given without a urethral surface cooling system. Thermophysical testing of the applicator proved therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Pathologic studies demonstrated hyperthermia-induced lesions in the periurethral prostatic tissues and permitted us to hypothesize a working mechanism of transurethral hyperthermia. Clinical Phase I and II studies showed clinical efficacy in patients with urinary retention or prostatism secondary to benign hyperplasia, especially in bilobar or trilobar prostatic configurations. While awaiting results of further pathologic and thermophysical experimental work and ongoing Phase II and III studies, we consider transurethral hyperthermia an investigational but promising conservative treatment modality for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Temperature steering in prostate by simultaneous transurethral and transrectal hyperthermia.

Localized hyperthermia (HT) is presently under investigation as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia and carcinoma of the prostate (CaP). One popular approach employs a transrectal (TR) device, a directional microwave (MW) applicator inserted into the rectum and aimed at the prostate. Alternatively, in the transurethral (TU) technique, a symmetrically radiating MW antenna is placed directly within the prostatic urethra. Used individually, TR applicators are capable of effectively heating (> 42 degrees C) the prostate up to 2 cm from the rectum, whereas TU applicators selectively heat the periurethral tissue with effective radial penetration of about 0.6 cm. Neither technique is of much value in heating the anterior prostate. In general, the highest temperatures are produced in the tissue immediately adjacent to the surface of intracavitary microwave devices. However, when MW antennas are used in arrays, the resulting heating pattern can differ significantly from that of the individual antennas. Heating at depth can be selectively enhanced and "steered" by adjusting the phase relationship between the devices. Prostatic temperature profiles were measured in 6 patients treated with TR alone, TU alone, and simultaneous TR and TU heating. In the combined treatments different phase relationships between the antennas were applied. We found that a higher temperature could be produced in the center of the prostate than on the surface of either applicator for certain phase relationships, and that the temperature profiles could be changed by shifting phase. The results of these measurements are in agreement with those of a computer simulation. Based on the above data we feel the combined use of TU and TR hyperthermia may be justified in Phase I-II trials for patients with locally advanced CaP.

Relationship of response to transurethral hyperthermia and prostate volume in BPH patients.

A response to transurethral microwave hyperthermia (TUHT) at 915 MHz and its relationship to prostate volume was examined in 63 poor surgical risk benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients. All patients had moderate-to-severe obstructive signs and symptoms, and received > or = 5 TUHT one-hour sessions. Treatment temperature was controlled on the urethral surface at 45 degrees C +/- 1 degree C. Follow-up ranged from twelve to forty-four months (mean 18 months). The mean prostate volume was 57 cc (range 10-301 cc). There were 40 patients (63%) with prostate volume < or = 50 cc and 23 (37%) with a volume > 50 cc. Treatment failure was seen in 6 patients (10%). It was 10 percent in 40 patients with smaller glands and 9 percent for those 23 with larger prostates, N.S. at p = 0.49. Subjective treatment response was seen in 58 patients (92%). It was 90 percent for the 40 patients with < or = 50 cc prostates vs. 96 percent for the 23 with > 50 cc prostates, N.S. at p = 0.75. This study suggests that the initial prostate volume is not an important parameter predicting response to TUHT.

Treatment response with transurethral microwave hyperthermia in different forms of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a preliminary report.

During a 7-month period, 79 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were treated with 915 MHz transurethral hyperthermia (TUHT). All patients had obstructive and irritative signs and symptoms which warranted surgical treatment considerations. Of the 79 patients treated, 31 had follow-ups of 12 months or longer and seven additional patients experienced treatment failure requiring surgical management. These 38 patients were studied to evaluate the relationship of treatment response to the pretreatment prostatic morphology assessed during cystoscopy. There was a well-balanced distribution of patients regarding the important pretreatment characteristics in different morphological types of prostatic hypertrophy. These important characteristics included: prostate volume, postvoiding residual volume, mean peak flow rate, and mean symptom score on the FDA scale. The study patients were scheduled to receive five 60-min TUHT sessions with temperature controlled on the urethral surface at 45.5 degrees C. The treatment were well tolerated and administered on an outpatient basis without sedation or anesthesia. There was a significant difference in the incidence of major improvement in patients with lateral lobe hyperplasia and those with median lobe enlargement, 73 vs. 30%, P = 0.018. From this study, it appears that BPH patients who are found at cystoscopy to have a predominance of median lobe hypertrophy should, perhaps, be selected for treatment other than TUHT. A Phase I study utilizing a modified transurethral applicator to accommodate the specific problem of patients with median lobe hyperplasia is currently being planned.

Transurethral microwave hyperthermia: an alternative treatment for prostadynia?

A total of 15 patients with severe symptoms of prostadynia who were refractory to therapy were treated with transurethral microwave hyperthermia (TUHT) in a phase I trial. All patients had pain as the predominant symptom, 9 (60%) patients gave a history of psychological problems while frequency, urgency, dysuria, nocturia, and impotence were less common symptoms. Treatment consisted of TUHT at 915 MHz given weekly for 5 weeks with a total of 68 treatment sessions and a mean of 4.5 treatments per patient. Each treatment lasted for 60 minutes. The aim was to increase the temperature measured on the urethral surface to greater than or equal to 44 degrees C. T mean for all sessions was 45.5 degrees C. In 91% of treatments, the temperature was greater than or equal to 44 degrees C. Treatment was well tolerated in 87% patients and acute toxicity was mild. Of the 15 patients treated, 2 (13%) did not complete the treatment course due to discomfort during TUHT. Good treatment response, manifested by complete pain relief and a decrease in dysuria, was noted in 7 (47%) patients. A higher (greater than or equal to 46 degrees C) treatment temperature correlated well with good response, P less than .01. Similarly, relief of pain correlated well with the absence of a history of psychological problems, P less than .01. A decrease of obstructive micturition problems was noted in 5 of the 7 patients who had this upon presentation. This study showed evidence of therapeutic activity with the use of TUHT in patients with prostadynia refractory to therapy. The response obtained was limited to less than one-half of the patients. Complete pain relief was obtained in 4 (27%) patients. It is of interest to note that patients who had major benefit did not show evidence of psychological problems and were able to tolerate higher treatment temperatures. The latter could suggest a temperature-related response.

Transurethral microwave hyperthermia for benign prostatic hyperplasia: preliminary clinical and pathological results.

Transurethral microwave hyperthermia is a new conservative treatment modality for benign prostatic hyperplasia. We treated 15 patients with 915 MHz. microwaves delivered transurethrally by a helical applicator. Of the patients 12 showed substantial objective and subjective improvement of obstructive outflow parameters. Significant improvement in objective study parameters included increased mean flow rate (p less than 0.00021), decreased mean residual volume (p less than 0.00001) and decreased mean prostatic volume (p less than 0.0077). Analysis of patterns of failure showed chronic bladder atony, prostate asymmetry and middle lobe configuration as important factors that could explain the failure of hyperthermia in 3 patients. Toxicity was mild, consisting of bladder spasms, perineal pain, dysuria and hematuria. Hyperthermia-induced pathological changes in prostatic tissues, causing periurethral shrinking and secondary dilatation of the prostatic urethra, are described. The reported clinical results of this phase I study are preliminary due to the short followup. A phase II study to optimize transurethral hyperthermia currently is underway. A phase III study is to be phased in comparing hyperthermia with transurethral resection of the prostate.