Possible contribution of prostatic anterior fibromuscular stroma to age-related urinary disturbance in reference to pressure-flow study

Recently, we reported that the anterior fibromuscular stroma (AFMS) of the prostate has significant different innervation compared with the other glandular regions of the prostate. In healthy volunteers (n = 12) using transrectal ultrasound (US), or TRUS, monitoring during voiding, we observed dynamic change (p < 0.0001) of the thickness of the AFMS during voiding. The aim of this study was to reveal the possible functional contribution of the AFMS to micturition, as well as the age-related voiding dysfunction. In the patients (n = 56) with voiding dysfunction who underwent both pressure-flow study (PFS) for determining obstruction and TRUS monitoring during voiding, we measured the ultrasonic dynamic change of the lower urinary tract during voiding. In old men with voiding dysfunction, ultrasonic measurements of dynamic change in the AFMS (p < 0.01) as well as the opening urethra (p < 0.05) could contribute to diagnosing of the anatomical localization of obstructive lesions. The poor movement of AFMS could account for the age-related urinary disturbance in the patients without benign prostatic enlargement and without bladder neck obstruction. (E-mail: ukimura@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp) (C) 2004 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine Biology.