Weight, Volume, and Density of Prostatic Chips Obtained by TURP: A Prospective Observational Study
TL;DR
Human prostatic tissue demonstrated a mean density greater than the reported density of the irrigation fluid under the measurement conditions, and was found to be significantly higher in patients with CaP compared to those with BPH.
Abstract
Introduction: Prostatic weight and volume are often used interchangeably; however, resected prostatic chips have been observed to sink to the bottom in glycine solution, suggesting a density greater than one. Previous studies of the physical parameters of resected prostate specimens have focused mainly on weight changes during chemical processing rather than on the native baseline density. Aim: To evaluate the weight, volume and density of prostatic tissue resected during Transurethral Resection of Prostate (TURP) and assess whether this relationship varies with different histopathological patterns. Materials and Methods: This two-year prospective, observational study was conducted at the Department of Genitourinary Surgery and Renal Transplant, Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, from May 2016 to April 2018. A total of 55 patients who underwent monopolar TURP were included. Weight and volume of the resected prostatic chips were measured within five minutes of the surgery. Density was calculated by the formula: mass per unit volume, i.e., weight/ volume (gm/mL). Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) software version 20.0. Data normality was evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk Test. Normally distributed data were analysed by parametric tests such as one-way ANOVA, whereas non parametric Mann-Whitney U test was utilised for non normally distributed data. The linear association between the weight and volume of prostatic chips was assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Linear regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between chip volume and weight. Results were deemed statistically significant at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of the patients was 68.5±8.8 years. There were 50 patients (90.9%) with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and 5 (9.1%) with Prostate Carcinoma (CaP). The average weight, volume and density of the resected chips were 9.134±6.942 gm, 8.40±6.55 mL and 1.104±0.090 gm/ mL, respectively. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the weight and volume of prostatic chips (Pearson’s correlation coefficient, r=0.994, p<0.001). The density was found to be significantly higher in patients with CaP compared to those with BPH (p=0.021). Conclusion: Human prostatic tissue demonstrated a mean density greater than the reported density of the irrigation fluid under the measurement conditions. Weight and volume of resected prostatic chips should not be assumed to be directly interchangeable because tissue density may differ from unity