The prostate gland is one of the organs of the male reproductive system. It is a muscular-glandular tissue that has tubular ducts. It is in them that stones are found during the development of pathology.
What are prostate stones
Stones in the prostate gland are structures of 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:
- true, which are initially formed in tissues;
- false, which are a crystallized accumulation of various s alts that enter the prostate duct during the reverse movement of urine from the urogenital canal.
Varieties by chemical structure
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 s alt-containing component. At the moment there are the followinggroup of stones:
- urate (urinary);
- hardened particles (calcium stones);
- oxalate (the main component is oxalic acid);
- formations of phosphate or phosphoric acid.
Some varieties of these 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.
Causes of formations
Why do prostate stones form? The treatment of such an ailment depends not only on the size and properties of s alt 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:
- bacteria, viruses, infectious agent;
- emission of urine into the ducts of the organ from the urogenital canal, which is the cause of the development of a non-microbial inflammatory process.
There are other factors that can affect the occurrence of s alt formations. Why do stones appear in the prostate? The reasons may be as follows:
- lack of regular sexual intercoursecontact;
- prostate tissue injury;
- inflammatory process localized in the tissues of the prostate gland;
- decrease in motor activity (causes congestion in the area of location of all organs of the small pelvis);
- excessive use of sulfa drugs;
- abuse of table s alt;
- presence in the diet of a large amount of fatty and spicy foods.
Dependence of adenoma and stone formation process
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 s alt 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.
Features of symptoms
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 alsourinary 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.
Key Features
If there are stones in the prostate, the patient may experience:
- Pain in the perineum. They can be intermittent or permanent.
- During physical exertion, as well as during sexual intercourse, discomfort increases.
- There is blood in semen.
- Alarming extraneous sensations during ejaculation.
- Weakening attraction to the opposite sex.
- Some changes in the nature of urination. This is due to the narrowing and inflammation of the urogenital canal. For example, a man may have difficulty or frequent urination.
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 found during palpation or radiographs.
Diagnostic Methods
When diagnosing such a pathology, an x-ray is taken. In addition, additional laboratory tests may be prescribed. For example:
- prostate secretion analysis;
- general examination of urine and blood;
- spermogram.
In some cases, may be assigned additionallytomography or echography. These methods allow you to visually confirm the presence of s alt 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.
Types of therapeutic effects
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:
- Therapeutic correction. In this case, drugs with an antimicrobial effect are used that can eliminate the inflammatory process in tissues, as well as replenish useful components lost by the body.
- Treatment of stones with a beam of magnetic waves or a laser.
- Surgery. In this case, the removal of stones from the prostate is carried out by excision of the tissues of the prostate gland or the organ itself. The method is determined at the diagnostic stage.
Laser application
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 s alt deposits in size (down to grains of sand) in the ducts of the prostate gland.
Are prostate stones removed quickly? Treatmentlaser 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.
Medicated treatment
The 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 medicines that help break up s alt deposits and remove them from the prostate ducts includes:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Diclofenac, Meloxicam, Ibuprofen, Nimesulide.
- Antimicrobial agents in tablet form: Doxycycline, Norfloxacin, Erythromycin, Ofloxacin. The effectiveness of therapy is determined after laboratory studies of the components of the microflora of the urine or a smear taken from the urogenital canal, with the calculation of the susceptibility of bacteria to a particular drug.
- Alpha-blockers: Terazonin, Tansulosin. The use of these drugs allows you to remove the inflammatory process in the tissues of the organ and swelling, restore the outflow of urine, and also relieve the patient from pain.
Surgical correction
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 own 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.
Prostate stones: consequences
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:
- sexual dysfunction, which is manifested by impotence;
- infertility;
- malignant cellular transformation of prostate tissue;
- progression of all signs of adenoma.
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 avoid s alty, smoked, spicy and fatty foods.
