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Is urethritis accompanied by seminal vesiculitis?
Author(s) -
Furuya Ryoji,
Takahashi Satoshi,
Furuya Seiji,
Saitoh Nobuhito,
Ogura Hiroshi,
Kurimura Yuichiro,
Tsukamoto Taiji
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of urology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1442-2042
pISSN - 0919-8172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2009.02314.x
Subject(s) - urethritis , medicine , epididymitis , incidence (geometry) , urology , gynecology , gastroenterology , surgery , physics , optics
Objective: To determine whether urethritis is accompanied by seminal vesiculitis using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) imaging. Methods: Fifty‐six male patients (mean age 31.6 ± 8.7 years) with urethritis were included in the study. As a control group, we also considered 34 healthy volunteers (mean age 21.3 ± 1.8 years). The two groups were evaluated by the nucleic acid amplification test and imaging studies using TRUS. Results: The nucleic acid amplification test could identify 15 patients (26.8%) with gonococcal urethritis (five had accompanying chlamydial urethritis), 32 (57.1%) with chlamydial urethritis, and nine (16.1%) with nongonococcal and nonchlamydial urethritis. The mean anteroposterior diameter of the bilateral seminal vesicles was significantly longer in the urethritis group than in the controls (12.9 ± 3.3 mm vs 11.0 ± 2.0 mm, P = 0.004). The incidence of dilatation or cystic changes of seminal vesicles was significantly higher in the urethritis group than in the controls (dilatation: 30% vs 9%, P = 0.019; cystic change: 39% vs 12%, P = 0.007). There was no significant difference in the incidence of dilatation or cystic changes of seminal vesicles between gonococcal urethritis and chlamydial urethritis. Conclusions: Patients with urethritis are likely to have accompanying seminal vesiculitis. This suggests a close interrelationship among urethritis, seminal vesiculitis and epididymitis.