Emphysematous prostatic abscess: case series study and review

Abstract

Objectives: To report three cases of emphysematous prostatic abscess (EPA) and review the literature on this rare entity.

Methods: All relevant articles published in English over the last 50 years (1961-2011) were identified using a MEDLINE search for keywords 'emphysematous prostatitis' and 'emphysematous prostatic abscess'. A total of 12 patients were evaluated for their age, race, underlying disease, pathogens, diagnosis tool, treatment options, and clinical outcome.

Results: EPA is a high mortality disease (25%) and has an association with diabetes mellitus. The most common pathogen in the 12 cases was Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Conclusions: The mortality of EPA is higher than that of emphysematous cystitis and emphysematous pyelonephritis. Timely recognition and prompt drainage are very important.