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The prostate gland is one of the organs of the male reproductive system. It is in them that stones are found during the development of pathology.
Stones in the prostate gland are structures of an inorganic or organic nature. Most often, these formations are small in size. However, depending on their parameters, congestion may occur in the tissues of the organ. Often there is a blockage of the duct.
Solid formations are divided into several groups:
A stone in the prostate is a formation that is also classified according to its chemical composition. The main difference lies in the predominance of one or another salt-containing component. At the moment, the following groups of stones are distinguished:
Some varieties of the mentioned compounds are removed from the prostate in a natural way: through drug exposure or by crushing them. These include the formation of phosphate, phosphoric, uric and oxalic acid. As for calcium stones in the prostate, they have the densest structure and hard surface. Such formations are not amenable to the effects of drugs. Such a stone in the prostate is removed by surgery.
Why do stones form 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 occur as a result of the inflammatory process of the glandular tissues of the prostate. In this case, a provoking agent must be present. He, in turn, appears due to:
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:
It is worth noting that prostate adenoma significantly aggravates the patient's condition, since neoplasms can cause congestion in the organ. In the presence of an inflammatory process, such a 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 recurred, then as a result of the diagnosis, the doctor can detect the simultaneous formation of stones and benign neoplasms. In the presence of such disorders, ultrasound of the prostate is prescribed, preparation for therapy and treatment, which is determined only by specialists.
Should I be worried 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, discomfort can affect not only the sexual, but also the urinary system of the body.
This is due to the fact that the prostate gland is located near the bladder. To be more precise, right behind him. In this case, the excretory ducts of the prostate pass through the cavity of the channel intended for urination.
If there are stones in the prostate, the patient may experience:
Symptoms that signal the presence of stones in the prostate may be mild due to the small size of the stones. The latter are often detected during palpation or radiographs.
When diagnosing such a pathology, an x-ray is performed. In addition, additional laboratory tests may be prescribed. For example:
In some cases, additional tomography or echography may be prescribed. These methods allow you to visually confirm the presence of salt formations in the prostate. The method of excretory urography can be used. In this case, the patient is injected with an indicator substance with a directed action into the vasculature. This study allows you to identify structural abnormalities, as well as organ dysfunction, reflecting everything on an x-ray.
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:
Removal of stones in the prostate with a laser is a painless, effective and fairly quick way. Such therapy has its own characteristics. Removal of stones is carried out by crushing them with a laser emitting low-intensity waves. This allows you to reduce salt deposits in size (down to grains of sand) in the ducts of the prostate gland.
Are prostate stones removed quickly? Laser treatment does not require hospitalization of the patient. When performing the procedure, the integrity of the outer covers is not violated. And this indicates the complete absence of any pain in the process of laser manipulations. In this case, the duration of such therapy is no more than a quarter of an hour. However, the procedure needs to be repeated. In some cases - up to 10 times. It all depends on the size, as well as the number of stones.
A stone in the prostate can also be crushed by taking medications. However, only a narrow-profile specialist can prescribe such a drug. Self-medication with such formations is extremely dangerous. This can lead to the development of unwanted complications. The list of drugs that help break up salt deposits and remove them from the prostate ducts includes:
In some cases, a stone in the prostate can be removed only by removing part of the tissues of the organ. However, such procedures are prescribed only according to the results of therapeutic correction. If the use of medications has not yielded results, then 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 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 carried out by dissecting tissues in a certain area. After that, the stones are removed from the organ. Such surgery has its name adenectomy by drainage of the suprapubic or perineal tract. The procedure requires hospitalization. During the operation, the patient is under general anesthesia.
During surgery, the doctor may remove the entire organ or prostate tissue if there is a large accumulation of stones in them.
Timely access to specialists of a narrow profile, as well as adequate therapy, can avoid the development of serious complications. The consequences can be unpredictable.Often a neglected disease leads to:
Stones in the prostate can lead to functional disorders of the male reproductive system that are significant for the body. 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 refuse salty, smoked, spicy and fatty foods.
Prostate stones are crystals located in the glandular tissue or excretory ducts of the prostate. Pathological inclusions come in different shapes and sizes. They have a different composition - inorganic salts of calcium, uric or oxalic acid, protein, phosphates, lime, epithelial cells of the ducts of the gland and prostatic secretion. We will analyze structural changes, diagnostic methods, symptoms and methods of treating pathology in this article.
The risk group for the disease can be quite extensive. Prostate stones are most often formed in men:
In men, the secret of the prostate can change its composition throughout life. The process of stone formation starts if there is a significant change in the natural ratio of components in the prostatic juice. For example, citric acid prevents the formation of crystals. But if it is not enough, and the secret in the prostate stagnates, then amyloid bodies accumulate calcium. These are the reasons for the formation of calcifications (calcium stones).
Oxalaturia (excess oxalic acid) pushes the male body to form oxalates, uraturia (excess uric acid) - urates. Phosphate prostate stones are formed due to excess phosphoric acid.
Persistent sluggish inflammatory processes in the prostate are the second most common cause of the formation of a pathological condition. The wise universe rewarded the man's body with an amazing ability - to protect the inflamed tissues of the prostate gland with a capsule. Such a distinction creates a "sarcophagus" that prevents the spread of infection, reduces intoxication, and improves the functioning of the glandular tissue of the suffering organ. The stone often saves a man, especially in the case of the formation of small-sized inclusions.
The reflux of urine into the prostate gland (urethroprostatic reflux) is another source that can lead to the development of the disease. With this form of organ damage, the distal ducts of the prostate suffer. A fairly rare cause of prostate stones is an extrapulmonary form of tuberculosis. Petrificates are able to concentrate calcium. Most often they are formed as a result of hypothermia of the body.
Chronic prostatitis with stones has its own characteristics. Stones in the prostate are from 0.2 to 2.5 cm in diameter. Their number varies from a single calculus to several tens of inclusions. The shape is most often spherical, elongated or rounded. Calculi in the prostate gland are divided into sensitive and insensitive to x-ray diagnostics.
They can have organic and inorganic composition. According to the mechanism of formation, prostate stones are endogenous and exogenous. True inclusions of the prostate gland are formed directly in the male gland, false - migrate from the urea, kidneys, ureters.
The symptomatic picture of small calculi in the prostate gland often wears blurred symptoms. Pronounced symptoms appear only if the prostate stones have reached a large size or infection has occurred. A man most often experiences a triad of symptoms:
Provocateurs of pain are cycling, increased physical activity, urination or sexual intercourse. As the stones grow in the prostate, potency suffers, other erectile dysfunctions join. Increased pain in the area of the bladder. These and other symptoms can reduce male libido, which will only exacerbate the process of stone formation in the prostate.
The diagnosis of prostate stones begins with a physical examination of the patient, palpation of his genitals and a careful history taking. Next, the urologist resorts to a transverse digital examination. This study helps to identify an increase in the organ, its consistency and other parameters of the prostate gland. But this procedure brings little diagnostic benefit, because ultrasound is indicated. Ultrasound diagnostics is carried out through the abdominal cavity or through the rectum.
It is important to remember that ultrasound diagnostics has its own characteristics. Small structures of increased acoustic density, located in the region of the ejaculatory ducts, the seminal tubercle, as well as along the urethra, are observed and considered as echographic signs of the norm.
Less commonly, MRI, CT, excretory urography are prescribed. Very rarely, the choice is stopped on x-rays, because there are x-ray-negative prostate stones. Examination of the urethra using endoscopic techniques will help to identify calculi localized in the area of the mouth of the ducts of the male gland.
For accurate verification of the diagnosis of "stones in the prostate", laboratory diagnostics are indicated. Blood is taken from the patient for a general analysis, and a general urinalysis is performed in dynamics. In some clinical cases, a spermogram, analysis of prostatic secretion, bakposev, determination of the sensitivity of the flora to antibiotics, etc. are shown.
If you find stones in the prostate - this is not a sentence. Treatment is prescribed based on the state of health and age of the patient, the degree of damage to the prostate gland. Small inclusions do not need therapy. But if the stones manifest themselves as severe symptoms or are the cause of prostatitis, then complex treatment is prescribed.
National treatment begins only after a medical consultation. Self-treatment is prohibited!
Treatment with folk remedies for this disease has been practiced for several centuries. Here are some recipes if you need to get rid of stones and make their removal a painless process:
Take a spoonful of chopped birch bark, pour it with a glass of boiling water, let the potion brew. After straining, place the liquid in the refrigerator. At one time, one tablespoon of infusion is enough, mixed in equal amounts with lemon juice and honey. Take three times a day, preferably before meals.
Cystone will help dissolve the stones. The drug is taken 2 tablets in the morning and evening. How much time to treat the disease, the doctor determines. To do without surgery, drugs are additionally prescribed that accelerate the dissolution of calculi and are able to actively remove salts. These medications include:
Prostate stones should be treated under strict medical supervision. The doctor adjusts the list of prescribing drugs and the duration of the course of treatment. This is important to achieve a stable remission.
Laser removal or crushing of stones in the prostate is an effective procedure that can quickly and painlessly remove stones using laser technology. The procedure lasts from 20 to 60 minutes, painless, does not require anesthesia. But this indicator depends on the equipment, the reputation of the clinic and many other factors.
If "calculous prostatitis" is diagnosed, physiotherapeutic procedures (massage, magnetic and/or ultrasonic remote lithotripsy) are prescribed by a doctor. Self-medication is prohibited. It is fraught with severe disorders of the prostate gland.
Surgeries to remove prostate stones are performed through transurethral access (through the urethra). In this way, stones located in the prostatic part of the urethra can be easily removed. Resection of the gland through the abdominal cavity is a more traumatic way to remove pathological inclusions, therefore the method is rarely used. Surgery is prescribed after all methods of conservative therapy have not given the expected effect. Surgical intervention is carried out in a hospital, hospitalization lasts at least 7 days. The postoperative period, subject to high-quality anesthesia, is easily tolerated by patients.
For men planning to have children, the consequences of prostate stones are often associated with infertility. Stones in the prostate have a detrimental effect on spermatozoa, causing inability to conceive. Sluggish ejaculation, chronic inflammation in the kidneys, in the bladder - these are the most common complications of stone formation in the prostate gland.
If the treatment was carried out incorrectly or did not bring therapeutic remission, then chronic prostatitis with stones is difficult, complicated by purulent pathologies.
An abscess of the prostate is often formed. Purulent fusion of glandular tissue can lead to the formation of cancer, the formation of painful ejaculation, and persistent dysfunction of the prostate. Acute thrombosis, when a blockage of blood lines is formed, is considered one of the most serious consequences of prostate stones.
The postoperative period is rarely complicated by the addition of bacteriological agents. With endoscopic intervention, the risk of infection is even lower.
I found out about calcifications in the prostate by chance, when I was suspected of chronic sluggish prostatitis. After consultation with a urologist, a treatment regimen was selected, but it did not bring the desired effect. The calculus increased in size, new small inclusions appeared. That is why I had stones removed from my prostate. The operation was successful. If stones are found in the prostate gland, this is not a sentence, but an excuse to take care of your health.
Maxim Vladimirovich, 62 years old
The main preventive measure that prevents the development of stones in the prostate is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is important to make regular physical activity, to prevent prolonged sexual abstinence. Hardening is a powerful stimulant of the immune system and the work of all internal organs. Therefore, hardening procedures should become the norm of life, and not an episodic process.
Regular intimate intercourse, especially with a regular sexual partner, will lead to regular emptying of the prostate ducts. This will minimize the risk of stagnation in the affected organ. The more regular the emptying of the male gland, the less opportunity for the formation of areas with increased echogenicity.
If stones have formed in the prostate, then reconsider your diet. A diet for prostate stones should not contain an excess of fatty, fried foods. In your diet, increase the percentage of vegetables, seasonal fruits and herbs. So you can improve your sexual performance. Additionally, give up bad habits. Alcohol, smoking, drug use are detrimental factors that provoke calcific prostatitis.
Men over 45 are shown preventive examinations by a urologist. This will allow timely diagnosis and treatment of pathological changes in the genitals and urological organs. Try to limit nervous stress, avoid cold and any kind of bacterial infections.
1 850 Elena Polyakova, doctor
(1 vote, average: 5 out of 5)
Prostate stones are phosphates, calcifications, oxalates and hardened uric acid that collect in the acini and/or ducts of the prostate gland. They are rarely diagnosed in men (less than 11% of all cases of chronic prostatitis). Pathology develops for a long time, symptoms appear on average 8-10 years after the onset of the formation of calculi. Conservative treatment is effective only in 23% of cases, mainly transurethral resection with removal of stone formations is used.
Stones in the prostate gland are a secondary pathology. The cause of the formation of calculi can be prostate adenoma, inflammation and infection in the bladder, kidneys, urethra. Bacterial and congestive prostatitis rarely affects the formation of hard components. More often, on the contrary, stone formations are a catalyst for subsequent chronic inflammation and infection of wounds.
Factors contributing to the accelerated growth of calculi: irregular sex life, trauma to intimate organs, prolonged sitting on a hard surface, hypothermia. calculous prostatitis (the so-called inflammatory process in the gland, which appeared due to stones) sometimes occurs as a postoperative complication, and also due to improper urethral catheterization.
Stones appear due to a violation of the drainage function of the gland. Various chemical compounds begin to collect on amyloid bodies and crystallize (grow, acquire a solid form). The basis for stagnant formations can be:
Two types of composition of formations do not affect the symptoms - the pathology proceeds in the same way. But it is important to identify the chemical properties of stones in order to determine the root cause, to draw up the correct treatment regimen.For example, calcifications are due to diseases of the prostate (adenoma), and chronic prostatitis with uric acid stones appears with pathologies of the bladder, urethra, and inflammation in the penis.
According to statistics compiled by scientists of the Kharkov Medical Academy (almanac "Problems of Modern Medicine", top 15, issue 42), in 71% of cases the pathology is asymptomatic for 2-8 years. Stones in the prostate begin to appear when they reach sizes over 8 mm (maximum length - 25 mm).
The symptoms of prostate stones are not unique, making diagnosis difficult. The resulting painful sensations are similar to pains in hyperplasia of the gland, urethral stricture, chronic prostatitis - they are localized in the lower abdomen, penis, perineum with irradiation to the testicles. There are frequent urges to the toilet with difficulty urinating, lack of pressure of the urine stream.
Complications of calculous prostatitis are accompanied by fever, acute urinary retention, the presence of blood in the semen. Prostate stones on such grounds can be incorrectly interpreted as foci of cancer or tuberculosis. To prevent this, a thorough differential diagnosis of the patient's condition is carried out.
The first step is to take an anamnesis and digital rectal examination of the prostate gland. If there are stones in the prostate, the doctor notes the induration, the patient's complaints of pain when pressed in certain areas, crepitus (quiet crunch).
The level of PSA in the blood serum with calculous prostatitis does not change significantly. The diagnosis is confirmed by analysis of the collected secret (during a rectal examination, stones injure tissues, so small traces of blood are detected), ultrasound or X-ray. Calculi in the prostate gland are visualized as clear echo-positive formations that clearly stand out from the surrounding prostate parenchyma.
If stones are found in the prostate, but they are small and there are no symptoms, then there is no need to remove the formations. In the early stages, it is enough to identify and eliminate the cause, as well as normalize the lifestyle (it is necessary to remove the factors that cause the growth of crystals). Alternative treatment is allowed with the help of herbal decoctions and infusions.
The patient is treated with the growth of stones and the risk of complications. First, symptomatic drugs are taken to eliminate pain and normalize urination. Then the doctor decides how to get rid of the stones - with medications, laser, lithotripsy or prostate resection.
In the early stages of calculous prostatitis (when the stones are less than 5 mm), it is allowed to carry out treatment with folk remedies. The goal is to normalize the production and excretion of prostatic secretions, eliminate small inflammations (large-scale inflammatory processes are removed with medicines, not herbs).
As a folk method for healing the prostate, doctors recommend using linseed oil with walnuts.
For problems with the prostate, it is useful to use flaxseed oil mixed with walnuts and honey. Fir water gives a good effect (with stones, drink on an empty stomach 2 times a day). If the symptoms of the pathology began to bother you, then to the medicines prescribed by the doctor, it is worth adding the daily use of a decoction of berries and rosehip root or tincture of corn stigmas. These remedies help to quickly relieve pain and improve urination.
Without surgery, with pills alone, it is rarely possible to dissolve stones and remove them from the prostate. However, with medium-sized calculi, treatment always begins with medication. If conservative therapy does not give dynamics for 3-4 months, the patient is referred for surgical removal of stones (the period can be reduced with large-scale growth of crystals in the gland).
Doctors prescribe antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers and drugs that normalize urological parameters. An example of a standard prescription for prostate stones:
Drug treatment of the prostate includes antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers and agents that normalize urological parameters.
In addition, alpha-blockers (Terazosin, Tamsulosin, Doxazosin) are prescribed - the course is compiled depending on the severity of urinary retention. Drugs for dissolving stones (Cyston, Allopurinol, Blemaren, Prolit) are used for urolithiasis, they are ineffective in treating calculous prostatitis.
The method consists in exposing prostatic stones to a low frequency laser. First, stones are crushed with a laser (the procedure lasts from 15 to 30 minutes) to the state of grains of sand, which then need to be removed from the prostate using diuretic medications (the cleaning process lasts 3-6 days).
The procedure for laser stone crushing is non-invasive, that is, it does not require surgical incisions. Through the urethra or rectum (depending on the type of device used), a special thin device is inserted that emits optical radiation (wavelength 960-1470 nm).
Laser stone removal has certain advantages over other methods of treating the disease. In the reviews, patients note:
The main disadvantage is the price of laser surgery. (the cost is determined by the number, size and location of stones). The procedure is not recommended for stones larger than 15 mm - in this case, it is more efficient to resect the prostate.
It is possible to completely remove large stones surgically. In most cases, a transurethral resection of the prostate is performed (using a resectoscope, a part of the gland with amyloid bodies is removed, where stones crystallize).
Surgeries to remove prostate stones can be performed laparoscopically (through punctures with a diameter of 5 or 10 mm). This is a less traumatic method for the patient, but they can remove stones less than 1 cm, large formations can be removed only through abdominal incisions.
The first 7-9 days require a sparing motor regimen, a diet, and an antibacterial course is prescribed to prevent postoperative complications. To restore the work of the prostate, physiotherapy procedures are carried out. For the purpose of rehabilitation and prevention of irreversible changes in the cavernous tissue, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors are prescribed.
Calculation in the prostate can lead to infection: the sharp edges of the stones cause microtrauma, pathogens are introduced into the bloodstream. In addition, constant tissue injury and blockage of the ducts provoke the formation of abscesses. Also possible are infertility, impotence, disorders of the genitourinary system (for example, acute anuria - lack of urination, which is a threat to a man's life).
"I had stones removed from my prostate two years ago. They were large - 1-1.2 cm. I myself brought the situation to a critical point: calculous prostatitis was diagnosed 5 years ago, then the stone was scanty - 4-5 mm. find out the cause of the appearance, or take action. Then the pain began, there was blood in the urine and semen. On ultrasound, in addition to stones, cysts were found, there was still a threat of developing sclerosis and atrophy of the prostate gland. Do not repeat the mistakes - get treated as soon as possible!".
Like any other disease, prostate stones are easier to prevent than to try to dissolve and remove them later. The following rules will help protect yourself from stones:
Proper nutrition is of great importance. A diet for prostate stones and prevention does not imply fasting - you need to eat more fruits and vegetables (especially those that contain iodine, zinc, vitamins B, PP, C). Useful lean meat, hard cheeses, low-fat cottage cheese, sea and river fish, nuts, honey. Alcohol, salty and smoked dishes are contraindicated.
The calculi in the prostate do not make themselves felt for a long time, therefore it is recommended to undergo a preventive check-up by a urologist 2-3 times a year. Examination of the gland will allow not only to identify the smallest stones, but also to detect prostatitis, adenoma and other unpleasant pathologies in time.