Efficacy evaluation of percutaneous ethanol injection for the treatment of prostatic cysts associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy in the dog

Historical background: Urethal discharge may be associated with prostatic cysts or abscesses communicating with the urethra. in human medicine, protocols for the application of percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) have been standardized for a long time Objectives: Efficacy evaluation of PEI for the treatment of prostatic cysts associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Procedure: Twenty cystic BPH-affected dogs diagnosed by physical examination, ultrasonography and citology were considered. The dogs were subdivided into three groups: Group A: seven dogs, treated with PEI and finasteride (total cysts: seven). The vital signs and laboratory arameters such as ALT, creatinine, blood glucose and urine specific gravity were monitored before treatment, after 6 hours and 30 days. Group B: five dogs treated with finasteride only (total cysts: seven) Gropu C: eight dogs treated with finasteride and ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration of prostatic cysts (total cysts: nine). A physical and ultrasonographic control was performed in all dogs 30 days after onset of treatment. Results: Group A: four cysts were undetectable after 30 days. In the other three dogs only a focal hyperechoic area was observed. All the dogs were asymptomatic. Group B: all the cysts were still detectable after 30 days, and two were significantly enlarged. Two dogs still presented urethral discharge. Group C: of the nine cysts treated, seven relapsed after 30 days. Four dogs were asymptomatic. Conclusions: A small number of cases is reported here because surgery was the preferred treatment in most patients. However PEI seems to be effective for the control of symptoms related to the presence of prostati cysts. Finasteride was ineffective for the short-term controlof cysts’ size and poor in controlling symptoms. As previously reported, the ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration of prostatic parenchymal cysts appears to be partially effective in the short term.