Objective: To compare pre- and post-therapy symptom scores reported on the National Institute of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIHCPSI) after trans-rectal antibiotic injections therapy for men suffering from chronic prostatitis.
Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of NIHCPSI symptom scores obtained from chart reviews of 77 treated males suffering from chronic prostatitis before and after trans rectal injections for the treatment of chronic prostatitis.
Results: Most patients reported a 40% to 60% improvement in symptom scores. In subgroups comparing scores in patients with less than 5 injections, the improvement was less than in patients who received 10 or more injections. Patients' responses after a shorter (3 months) follow up showed better pain scores than patient's scores after longer, over one-year or more, follow- up periods.
Conclusion: Our findings show that direct antibiotic injection for chronic prostatitis is a viable addition to standard therapies. Improvements in symptom scores are long lasting. Discomfort is minimal and side effects are rare and avoidable.
Keywords: Bacterial prostatitis; Chronic prostatitis; Injection therapy of prostatitis.