Prostate Ultrasound
A prostate ultrasound is a test, done under clinical conditions, which is often used to locate issues with the prostate gland in men. Using high frequency sound waves, which pass through the body of the patient, these reflect back and produce an outline of the area being scanned.
By producing an image of the prostate, health care professionals can use the results to help determine whether there any issues that need further investigation and treatment. With several conditions affecting the gland, such as enlargement and infection, it is an important tool in modern treatment methods.
Prostate cancer is also very common in men, though many do not realize they have the condition as they have no symptoms. Increasingly, a prostate ultrasound is being used to determine if there are any cancerous cells present in men over the age of fifty or sixty.
A walnut shaped gland found only in men, the prostate is a fundamental part of a man’s sexual reproductive system. It is key to producing semen, through its production of a thick, white fluid which liquefies and mixes with the sperm released in the testicles, which forms the ejaculate.
As men age, the prostate naturally gets larger. Located between the bladder and the penis and surrounding the urethra however, this can cause complications in some cases. Treatment is usually successful, though this often not needed at all.
Prostate ultrasound is an unpleasant, but rarely painful procedure. It is known as a transrectal procedure, involving the placing of a cylindrical probe in the rectum. The patient lies on his side, with his knees bent, and the probe is gently inserted. Over a period of up to thirty minutes, the probe is delicately moved back and forth in order an image can be gained of the entire gland.
Before the examination, an enema will most likely be necessary, and the patient will be advised not to urinate for an hour before the scheduled start time. It is worrying about the procedure that causes most anxiety for patients, as the exam itself and events after often prove far less of an issue than expected.
After the prostate ultrasound, there is likely to be some discomfort experienced for a while. However, most patients will be able to go home straight after. A patient can expect a small amount of mucus and possibly a little bleeding from the rectum for up to two days after the exam.
In some rare cases, there can also be a small amount of blood in the semen or urine, but this should not be worried about unless it continues over an extended period of time. There are few instances of infection in such an exam and, on most cases, these will come from the biopsy which often accompanies such a test, and are readily treated by orally taken antibiotics.
Once the prostate ultrasound has been completed, the examining professional, a radiologist or urologist, will be able to determine the results very quickly. From here, if necessary, treatment can be discussed and started almost immediately and certainly within a seventy-two hour period.