Prostate gland & seminal vesicles
Other nonneoplastic lesions
Calculi
Author: Andres Matoso, M.D.
Editorial Board Member: Maria Tretiakova, M.D., Ph.D.
Topic Completed: 1 March 2017
Minor changes: 30 October 2020
Copyright: 2003-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed search: prostatic calculi
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Essential features | Terminology | ICD coding | Epidemiology | Sites | Pathophysiology | Etiology | Clinical features | Diagnosis | Radiology description | Prognostic factors | Treatment | Gross images | Differential diagnosis | Additional referencesCite this page: Matoso A. Calculi. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/prostatecalculi.html. Accessed December 2nd, 2021.
Definition / general
- Rare in children, infrequent < age 40, common > age 50
- May be solitary but usually occur in clusters and are associated with nodular hyperplasia, prostatic carcinoma, metabolic abnormalities or other abnormalities (Prostate 1985;7:91)
- Identified in 7% of prostates with nodular hyperplasia
- Stones usually contain phosphate salts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, calcium carbonate or calcium oxalate; stones in enlarged prostatic utricles contain hydroxyapatite (J Androl 2012;33:45)
- Corpora amylacea may act as nidus for stone formation
- Radiopaque, are detected by Xray
- Rarely are infected and cause abscesses
Essential features
- Uncommon in children and under age 40
- Usually associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Primary or endogenous when originate in the prostate; secondary or exogenous when originate outside the prostate (kidney, bladder)
- Chemical composition of hydroxylapatite / carboapatite and whitlockite suggest prostatic origin; uric acid or oxalic compounds are more common in exogenous calculi
Terminology
- Lithiasis, calculi
ICD coding
- N42.0
Epidemiology
- Uncommon in children and under age 40
Sites
- Prostatic ducts, urethra
Pathophysiology
- Primary lithiasis appears to originate from phosphocalcifications of corpora amylacea
- Can form in a prostatic lodge of TURP with distal obstruction
Etiology
- Associated with diseases that cause lower urinary tract obstruction
Clinical features
- Incidental finding on TURP or prostatectomy specimen
- Lower urinary tract symptoms in larger calculi obstructing or irritating the urethra
Diagnosis
- Radiology
- Urethrocystoscopy
Radiology description
- Seen on Xray
Prognostic factors
- No prognostic significance
Treatment
- TURP, prostatectomy, endoscopic removal, endoscopic lithotripsy
Gross images
Images hosted on other servers:
Prostate stones
Differential diagnosis
- Foreign body
Additional references
