Sonographic assessment of Prostate and Post void Residual Urine Volumes in patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy in Makurdi, North-central Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a major global public health problem and the most common benign prostatic disease in elderly men. Although rarely life-threatening, the increased morbidity significantly lowers men's quality of life, necessitating significant financial commitment to their annual health budgetary expenditure. We aim at determining the sonographic volumes of the prostate and post void residual urine in adult Nigerian men with BPH in Makurdi and to document any relevant relationship between the two values. Materials and methods: This was a 10-month prospective cross-sectional study conducted from June 2021 to April 2022. Transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS) was used to measure the prostate and post-void residual urine volumes of 78 men aged 40years and older, with normal levels of prostatic-specific antigen (PSA), who were referred to the ultrasound unit of radiology department of Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft excel with P<0.05. Results: Postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) was observed to increase alongside the prostate volume (PV) from the 5th to the 6th decade of life; however, PVR began fluctuating from the 7th to the 8th decade, even though PV continued to increase steadily to its peak value at the 70-79 years of age, or the 8th decade. Overall, the mean prostate and post void residual urine volumes were 64.07±37.00ml and 76.44±110.34ml, respectively. A statistically significant (P=0.017) relationship existed between age and prostate volume but not between PV and PVR (P=0.128), where there was instead a weak, positive correlation. Although the bladder wall thickness (BWT) was greater than 5mm in more than half of the respondents 43(55.10%), there was no statistically significant (P=0.130) relationship between age and BWT. Conclusion: We established 64.07±37.00ml and 76.44±110.34ml respectively, as the overall mean sonographic volumes of the prostate and post void residual urine in adult Nigerian men with BPH in Makurdi. Despite the weak correlation between the two volumes, they can be used as a baseline for monitoring the progression of prostatic hyperplasia, bladder outlet obstruction and deciding on the best treatment option.