Diagnosis

Prostatitis

Diagnosis of prostatitis

The diagnosis of prostatitis, in addition to being based on the patient's clinical history, includes ruling out other pathologies as a cause of the symptoms and determining the type of prostatitis the patient has. This will be determined by performing some of the following tests:

• Physical examination (rectal examination).
• Fractionated urine culture. It is based on the separate collection of different specimens of urine and prostatic secretions.
• Semen culture. It consists of analyzing the semen to look for possible infections caused by bacteria, fungi or other microorganisms.
• Blood tests.
• Prostate massage. In some cases, the prostate may be gently massaged during a digital rectal examination to release prostatic fluid into the urethra. A urine sample after the massage expels the prostate fluid for bacterial testing.
• Ultrasound. In some cases, an ultrasound of the prostate may be requested.

If initial tests show no signs of infection, it may be indicated to others such as:

• Urodynamic study. A variety of tests may be used to check how the bladder and urethra are doing in terms of urine retention and release.
• Imaging. Imaging tests may be ordered to identify prostate irregularities, abnormal growths or other problems in the pelvic area that may be contributing to the pain.