Correlation between Prostate Volume Estimated by Digital Rectal Examination and Trans-Rectal Ultrasound Measurements in Patients Diagnosed with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Background: Measurement of Prostate Volume (PV) is fundamental in the proper management of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Although a crude way of assessing PV, digital rectal examination (DRE) has been used in various centres and then objectified by the use of Transrectal Ultrasound Scan (TRUS) measurement for reasons of accuracy. Prostate volume measurement together with the use of international prostate symptom score (IPSS) is central in choosing treatment modalities whether medical or surgical. In this study, we aimed at correlating PV measured by DRE and TRUS. Patients and Methods: This is a prospective study of seventy four (74) patients being managed for BPH in our facility between September 2019 and December 2020 who met inclusion criteria. Full clinical history was obtained together with physical examination and well-focused DRE of the prostate to estimate PV based on Romero et al., technique combined with the sliding scale technique. Subsequently patients were sent for TRUS measurements of the prostate which is also a routine procedure in BPH managements. Data were collated and analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 Results: A total of 74 patients were studied with a mean age of 63.05±9.89 years ranging from 43 to 90 years. Mean PV estimated by DRE was 47.91±14.16 mls and that by TRUS was 53.42±25.33 mls. There was a statistically significant correlation in PV measurements between the two modalities (P v=.750, PV < .05). Conclusion: PV measured by DRE closely approximates TRUS measurements.