Examination of the prostate

How is the prostate checked in men? Not all men, after the first manifestations of unpleasant discomfort caused by prostatitis, hyperplasia or adenoma, rush to undergo a medical examination. There are various methods of examining the prostate gland for organ diseases.

Self-exam of the prostate

Prostate examination is not difficult or dangerous.

However, some rules are required:

• Examination of the prostate at home is done in a supine position on the side with bent knees, leaning forward slightly (a comfortable position for probing the prostate);
• gloves are put on hands, and an examination is carried out for cystic formations, hemorrhoids, gland size, warts;
• the examination can be carried out by a loved one, for example, a wife;
• before inserting a finger into the anal canal, it is lubricated with lubricant or petroleum jelly;
• for the procedure, nails should be trimmed short (to avoid injury to the mucous membrane, cyst or anus);
• the finger is inserted slowly, gently examining the walls of the rectum;
• movements should be circular;
• when elements of compaction, cysts, tubercles are felt - this indicates the development of prostatitis or another disease of the prostate;
• a soft, smooth, non-irregular mucosal surface is the norm;
• the prostate gland is probed at the very top of the intestinal zone;
• when pressing on the organ, you do not need to be zealous, since it will not be possible to determine the state;
• during pressure, men should not have pain and discomfort;
• the presence of disturbing symptoms should be a signal for a medical examination to identify possible pathology.

Medical examination

An objective examination is carried out by a urologist. This examination does not require special apparatus and instruments.

The examination is carried out in the doctor's office, it consists of the following activities:

• the doctor listens to the patient's complaints, asks when the discomfort began, how the symptom developed, and asks the risk factors for possible diseases;
• then the specialist examines the genitals, perineum, anal canal;
• palpates the prostate.

Physical examination does not include percussion and auscultation. The urologist takes into account the patient's primary and secondary complaints.

This is usually:

• impossibility of conception;
• impaired urine flow (urine retention, weak urine pressure, painful sensations);
• sexual dysfunction (decreased libido, weak erection);
• the presence of discharge from the urethral canal (hemorrhagic or purulent).

Secondary complaints are a bad signal of a worsening condition. The specialist asks when the patient first began to notice changes. Prostatitis makes itself felt after sexual intercourse (unprotected) or after infection in another way. Prostate cancer develops slowly, so pathological changes are long-term and growing.

When examining the external organs, one can only detect signs of the presence of infection in the male gland.

• Rash on the genitals.
• Irritation, redness of the head of the organ.
• Swelling of the foreskin or glans.

More information can be obtained after palpation. The medical term for this procedure is rectal examination. Rectal examination is carried out in the knee-elbow position, in the supine position on the side with bent legs at the knees (knees are as close to the chest as possible), in a standing position, with a bend in the lumbar region (with elbows resting on the table).

The specialist conducts the examination in medical gloves so that the session does not bring discomfort, petroleum jelly and lubricant are used. The finger (index) is inserted into the anus, with the other hand the urologist presses on the abdomen.

During the study, it is determined:

• Dimensions of the prostate (width, thickness, length).
• The presence of bias.
• Stakes for symmetry.

Rectal examination is performed after urine drainage.

Assigning tests to diagnose prostatitis

After carrying out a subjective diagnosis, the specialist prescribes additional research methods.

It is recommended to take a general blood test, which recognizes the occurrence of an inflammatory process, namely in the prostate gland. Based on the results of the analysis of serum, the type of disease is determined: viral or bacterial.

The doctor also prescribes to pass urine for analysis. It recognizes the presence of epithelial cells of the prostate, which indicates a possible inflammation in the gland, other urinary or genital organs.

Taking a smear from the urethral canal allows you to examine the material for damage to the organ by sexually transmitted diseases. It is mandatory to examine material for Wasserman's reaction to confirm or exclude syphilis.

The study of prostatic secretion occurs after taking it for analysis in the process of rectal examination.

When are the indicators normal?

Modifications of any indicators warn of malfunctioning of the male gland.

Diagnosis of diseases of the male gland, including cancer, is carried out after the delivery of biomaterial (blood) to the dog. Prostate-specific antigen is a protein that is produced by the tissues of the prostate. When it circulates through the bloodstream at an acceptable rate, this is normal. Atypical organ proliferation is determined by an elevated blood pressure. This analysis can reveal the presence of hyperplasia, the process of oncology. In case of prostate adenoma, the indicators of the dog are not greatly increased from the norm, and in the presence of cancer in the patient, the dog is overestimated many times.

Instrumental technique for examining the prostate

How to check the prostate with additional methods? When laboratory tests did not give a clear picture, instrumental examination methods are prescribed.

Namely:

• Radiography.
• Ureteroscopy.
• Ultrasound examination.
• Cystoscopy.

Ureteroscopy and cystoscopy examines the organ for narrowing of the urethral canal. This procedure allows you to identify a pathological process in the prostate with a significant increase in size.

The same technique is used to assess the state of the prostate gland, since the inflammatory process of the organ is accompanied by urinary retention, disorders in the urinary system. Cystoscopy is used to examine the urea.

On an ultrasound machine, you can examine the prostate on the screen, determine its size, shape, degree of narrowing of the urethra, the density of organ tissue, the presence of nodes, neoplasms.

Fluoroscopy visualizes all organs located in the small pelvis. The prostate is assessed for its size, the type of urination canal, in oncology - metastasis.

The most effective examination technique is a biopsy, but not all patients are prescribed this test.