Prostatitis Diagnose

Tests & Lab Analysis

Your health care provider may perform a physical examination to assess the prostate (warm, soft, swollen, or tender), the groin lymph nodes (enlarged or tender), the scrotum (swollen or tender), and the urethra (discharge).

Triple-void urine specimens (also called the three-glass test) may be collected for urinalysis and urine culture:

1. initial stream- helps identify urethral flora
2. mid-stream- after prostatic massage- identifies prostatic flora
3. after prostatic- corresponds to the vesical flora

Note: Sometimes prostatic massage is not performed if the prostate is obviously swollen and tender, because there is a risk of spreading the infection and cause bacteremia or sepsis. These are potentially life-threatening infections in which bacteria are present in the bloodstream, rather than localized to one part of the body.

Urinalysis may reveal increased white blood cells (WBCs) and bacterial growth. Examination of prostatic secretions may also show increased levels of WBCs and concentrated bacterial growth upon culture.

Acute prostatitis may also alter the results of the following tests:

• CBC (complete blood cell count)
• Urine analysis
• PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen)
• Semen analysis

These specimens are taken to a lab where they are analyzed by a pathologist, which will assign a diagnosis.