ORIGINAL: Pre-and Post-Prostatectomy Detrusor Wall Thickness and the Symptom Profile in Patients with Benign Prostatic Enlargement: A Prospective Review

West Afr J Med. 2024 May; 41 (5): 592-596 PMID: 39212540

Abstract

Introduction: The urinary bladder undergoes morphological and functional changes in patients with symptomatic benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). These detrusor changes reflect chronically increased intravesical pressure as a result of outlet obstruction. This study aims to determine the relationship between the Pre- and Post-op detrusor wall thickness (DWT), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), and duration of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients who had open simple prostatectomy (OSP).

Method: This was a prospective study of a cohort of patients who had OSP for symptomatic BPE. The IPSS and symptom duration for each patient were noted. Each patient also had an abdominal ultrasound scan with a measurement of their DWT. Retropubic OSP was done for each patient. The detrusor wall thickness was also measured 12 weeks after the prostatectomy.

Results: Fifty-two patients completed the study; the mean age was 66.37 ± 8.09 years. The median pre-operative IPSS was 28 (IQR = 13.75), and the median duration of symptoms was 24 months (IQR = 37 months). The mean pre-operative DWT was 4.41 ± 1.38mm, while the mean post-operative DWT was 2.16 ± 0.98mm. The preoperative IPSS (p = 0.833) and duration of symptoms (p = 0.375) did not significantly correlate with the pre-operative DWT. There was a significant reduction in the mean DWT (p < 0.001) and IPSS (p < 0.001) following prostatectomy.

Conclusion: DWT appears not to be significantly influenced by the severity or duration of LUTS. However, it reduced significantly following OSP with corresponding improvement in urinary symptoms.