The Diagnostic Values of the Polymerase Chain Reaction in Prostatitis

Kim, Sae Woong; Lee, Ji Youl; Park, Wang Jin; Cho, Yong Hyun; Yoon, Moon Soo

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Prostatitis is one of the most common prostatic disease. But compared with other prostatic disease, the evaluation of the cause, diagnosis and treatment for prostatitis is not enough yet. So, this study aims to evaluate the usefulness and significance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the diagnosis of prostatitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated the frequency of the causative orgamnism of prostatitis, i.e., C. trachomatis, T. vaginalis, M. hominis, M. genitalium and U. urealyticum, in 104 patients who visited the Department of Urology, Catholic University St. Mary's Hospital and who had prostatitis symptom from January 1999 to August 1999 by using PCR. The enrolled patients were categorized by the definition of the NIH Chronic Prostatitis Work Shop. Among 104 patients, there were Category II (chronic bacterial prostatitis) 3 patients (2.9%), Category IIIa (inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome) 33 patients (31.7%) and Category IIIb (noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome) 68 patients (65.4%).
RESULTS
We found out that causative microorganisms were not detected at Category II; 9 cases (27.3%) in Category IIIa-C. trachomatis 5 cases, U. urealyticum 1 case, M. genitalium 2 cases and both C. trachomatis and M. genitalium 1 case; 5 cases (7.4%) in Category IIIb-C. trachomatis 1 case, U. urealyticum 1 case, M. genitalium 1 case, both C. trachomatis and M. genitalium 1 case and both U. urealyticum and M. hominis 1 case. In a total of 17 cases of positive PCR, the common causative microorganisms were C. trachomatis (8 cases:47.1%), M. genitalium (5 cases), U. urealyticum (3 cases) and M. hominis (1 case) in this order.
CONCLUSION
With the invention of PCR, the inconvenience of patients in the process of extracting causative microorganisms decreased and it became possible to get a result within 2~4 hours in technically less difficult way. Moreover, the PCR shows nearly 100% of accuracy in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Like this, it is expected that PCR will play an important role as a way of diagnosis and treatment for prostatitis.