title: Prostatic stones: evidence of a specific chemistry related to infection and presence of bacterial imprints.
abstract: Prostatic stones are a common condition in older men in industrialized countries. However, aging appears not to be the unique pathogenesis of these calcifications. Our morpho-constitutional investigation of 23 stone samples suggested that infection has a significant role in the lithogenic process of prostate calcifications, even without detection of infection by clinical investigation. Most stones (83%) showed bacterial imprints and/or chemical composition, suggestive of a long-term infection process. Chronic infection may induce persistent inflammation of the tissue and secondarily, a cancerization process within a few years. Thus, the discovery of prostate calcifications by computerized tomodensitometry, for example, might warrant further investigation and management to search for chronic infection of the prostate gland.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris Sud, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Orsay, France. arnaud.dessombz@u-psud.fr
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dessombz
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Méria
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bazin
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daudon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D002137:Calculi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011469:Prostatic Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*