Prostatic abscess: a rare complication of staghorn calculi.

A staghorn calculus is a calculus accommodating the majority of a renal calyx extending into the renal pelvis. A conservative approach to its treatment may lead to high morbidity and mortality rates. Such morbidity usually manifests with renal failure, obstructed upper urinary tractand/or life-threatening sepsis. Prostatic abscesses have never been associated with staghorn calculi in the literature. We report a case of a 70-year-old man who presented with sepsis, which was found to originate from a complex prostatic abscess. The patient had no history of urinary tract infections or risk factors. The authors believe that the incidentally identified staghorn calculi promoted the growth of Proteus mirabilis which led to the development of the prostatic abscess. The patient underwent a transurethral resection and drainage of the abscess following a failed course of antibiotic therapy. This case also highlights the paucity of guidelines available in treating prostatic abscesses.

Prostatic abscess: diagnosis and management in the modern antibiotic era.

This retrospective study was aimed at analyzing the clinical findings and therapeutic strategies in 24 patients who were admitted with prostatic abscess, during the period from 1999 to 2008. The diagnosis of prostatic abscesses was made clinically by digital rectal palpation based on the presence of positive fluctuation with tenderness. All cases were confirmed by trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS), and only positive cases were included in this study. The diagnostic work-up included analysis of midstream urine and abscess fluid culture for pathogens. Therapeutic options included endoscopic trans-urethral incision or trans-perineal aspiration under ultrasound guidance, or conservative therapy. Of the 24 patients studied, 45.83% of the cases had a pre-disposing factor, and diabetes mellitus (37.50%) was the most common. Digital rectal palpation revealed fluctuation in 70.83% of the cases. Trans-abdominal ultrasonography missed the condition in 29.16% of the cases. On TRUS, all the study patients showed hypo-echoic zones, while nine others showed internal septations. In most of the cases, the lesion was peripheral. A causative pathogen could be identified in 70.83% of the cases. Surgical drainage of the abscess by trans-urethral deroofing was performed in 17 cases (including one with failed aspiration), trans-perineal aspiration under TRUS guidance was performed in three cases and conservative therapy was followed in five cases. Our data confirms the importance of predisposing factors in the pathogenesis of prostatic abscess. In most of the cases, the clue to diagnosis is obtained by digital rectal palpation. TRUS gives the definite diagnosis and also helps in follow-up of patients. Trans-urethral deroofing is the ideal therapy where the abscess cavity is more than 1 cm, although in some selected cases, TRUS-guided aspiration or conservative therapy does have a role in treatment.

Prostatic abscess associated with Bacteroides fragilis mediastinitis after heart surgery.

Anaerobic mediastinitis after cardiac surgery is a rare and poorly understood condition. We observed a patient with diabetes and myelodysplastic syndrome who developed Bacteroides fragilis mediastinitis in conjunction with a prostatic abscess, several days after coronary artery bypass surgery; this hitherto unpublished observation suggests that suppurative infection of the genito-urinary tract may constitute a portal of entry for postoperative anaerobic mediastinitis in predisposed patients.