title: Characteristics of prostatic infarcts and their effect on serum prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine how prostatic infarcts affect serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred eighteen clinically benign, whole prostates were obtained at autopsy, completely sectioned, and examined histologically. PSA and PAP levels were determined from premortem serum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six of the 218 (2.8%) prostates had infarcts. The infarcts were usually multiple and usually located in the central and/or middle concentric zones of the middle third of the prostate without a preference for a particular lobe. Serum PSA by immunoradiometric assay were elevated in all 6 cases. Serum PAP by both enzymatic assay (ACA), and immunoradiometric assay were available for 5 cases and were elevated by both methods in 2 cases, approached elevated levels by both methods in 1 case, and were normal by both methods in 2 cases. The PSA and PAP levels appeared to be affected more by the age than by the size of the infarct.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prostatic infarcts elevate PSA levels more frequently than PAP levels, and prostatic infarcts may be responsible for some unexplained elevations of serum PSA and PAP levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Brawn
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Jay
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuhl
authors.forename: V O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Speights
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Coffield
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karl
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000097:blood*; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011467:Prostate / Q000098:blood supply*; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen