title: [Changes in prostatic histological composition in subjects with prostatitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the links between the histological composition of the prostate and the symptoms related to the clinical BPH.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prostates of 34 patients with symptoms of BPH and 17 asymptomatic patients were biopsied. Using light microscopy, the ratio of stromal to glandular surfaces was calculated. The main dimensions of 5 epithelial cells randomly selected, were examined under electron microscopy in each case. The number and length of microvilli, and the number of secretory granules were determined. The results of symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects were compared by means of Student's t and Mann-Whitney's U tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ratio of stromal and glandular surfaces came to 4:1 and 6.5:1 in the symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.18). Although the average cellular surface of the symptomatic patients was inferior to that of the asymptomatic subjects (74 and 88 mu2. respectively), the differences did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.14). Similarly, the mean nuclear surface of the symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (19.5 and 20.8 mu2, respectively) did not differ (p = 0.48). No differences were detected in the number of secretory granules and microvilli, nor in the length of the microvilli.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The occurrence of symptoms related to the clinical BPH is not due to differences in the composition of the prostate. No clear links seem to exist between the structural changes in the epithelial cells and the development of symptoms. Considering the proportions of epithelium and stroma, therapy focused in the prostatic stroma should yield the best results.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Urología, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Madrid.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Páez Borda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luján Galán
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martín Osés
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de la Cal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martín-Benito
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barba
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berenguer Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000473:pathology*