Center for Prostate Health.

Prostate is a walnut size gland located in the pelvis. It is located underneath the bladder and surrounds part of the urethra (tube that carries urine and semen outside) . Prostatic secretions contribute to the total volume of semen ejaculated.

There are several medical conditions that are associated with prostate.

1. Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammatory condition that can be caused by infectious as well as non-infectious processes. It is the most common prostate problem of the patient population under the age of fifty. The symptoms may include difficulties with urination, pain, a "foreign body" sensation in the perineum (area between the scrotum and the rectum), fever, and malaise. Treatment often requires antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications as well as a close follow up. Associates in Urology provides a full evaluation and treatment of this condition.

2. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. (BPH)

BPH is the most common medical problem associated with the prostate in men over fifty. The symptoms include frequent urination, straining with urination, decrease in force of urinary stream, feeling of incomplete bladder emptying, urinary urgency and inability to hold urine (“once I got to go, I got to go” symptoms), and frequent bothersome interruption of sleep with night time urination.

Associates in Urology provides a full spectrum of diagnostic as well as therapeutic modalities for BPH. Our offices are equipped for a full evaluation of bladder function, strength of urinary flow as well for visualization of prostate and bladder via ultrasonography and fiber optics. Once medical management is selected, the patient is carefully monitored and the success of therapy is constantly re-evaluated. For those who fail medical management or are unwilling to comply with a daily medications regiment, Associates in Urology offers minimally invasive, in-office procedures aimed at ablation of the enlarged prostate gland. Our physicians, in conjunction with Thomas Jefferson University, were the first to bring a microwave therapy unit for prostate care to the state of Pennsylvania.

To learn more about microwave therapy for BPH please visit Urologix.com website

To learn more about benign conditions of prostate please visit National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC)

3. Cancer of theProstate Gland.

Prostate cancer is the least frequent but the most devastating medical problem associated with the prostate gland. Except for skin cancer it is the most common malignancy in American males and the second leading cause of cancer death in American male population. This condition is clinically silent in its early stages, and often causes no symptoms, nor provides any warning signs. It requires meticulous screening and rigid follow up. Prostate cancer screening consists of annual digital rectal examination (DRE) and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) drawing. In accordance with the guidelines of the American Urological Association, Associates in Urology initiates screening of prostate cancer in all men over the age of fifty. In patients who are at increased risk of prostate malignancy (African-American males and patients with the history of prostate cancer in first degree relatives), annual screening is initiated at the age of forty. If serum PSA is elevated or an abnormality is found during an annual DRE, a 12-core ultrasound guided prostate biopsy is suggested to the patient. The biopsy is performed in our office under local anesthesia. Based on the results of the biopsy, further counseling is offered to the patients.

To learn more about prostate cancer please visit: Early Prostate Cancer: Questions and Answers from www.cancer.gov