agar and Prostatic-Hyperplasia

Transurethral resection of the prostate is the most common method of relieving urinary outflow obstruction secondary to prostatic enlargement. However, this procedure can be responsible for various complications, including irrigant-fluid absorption and blood loss, both of which are strongly dependent on operation duration time. To reduce the latter, a new resection device has been designed for transurethral prostatectomy. The device basically consists of a rotating cutting loop controlled externally, with three degrees of freedom, to fit the adenoma shape. Its performance is assessed in vitro by drilling conical and semi-ellipsoidal cavities in agar gel models. The mean difference between the calculated and obtained cavity volumes is 3% (SD = 0.9%). The volume cutting rate, found to be independent of the type of cavity drilled, is equal to 2.9 +/- 0.3 cm3 min-1. The advantages of this motorised resection device prototype are reduction in operation duration and accuracy of the resected volume. In vivo resection of a 20 cm3 adenoma in less than 15 min can be expected.

Topics: Agar; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Male; Models, Biological; Prostatectomy; Prostatic Hyperplasia; Ultrasonography, Interventional

Tissue samples from transurethrally resected benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) in 29 patients were disaggregated into single cells and cultured in semisolid media. In 15 cultured specimens not overgrown with bacteria or fungus, colony formation occurred in seven (47 per cent). The median plating efficiency was 0.036 per cent with a range of 0.0005 to 0.9 per cent. Studies of the cells forming the colonies demonstrated histochemical, immunohistologic, morphologic and ultrastructural findings characteristic of an epithelial origin. The results suggest a potential utility of colony forming assays in the study of benign as well as malignant cells. These BPH culture studies were limited by microorganism contamination and low yields from the disaggregation technique.

Topics: Agar; Cells, Cultured; Male; Prostatic Hyperplasia

A technique is described for the culture of slices of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for periods of a week in organ culture. Under these conditions tissue repair took place, resulting in a covering layer of transitional epithelium which formed around the explant and spread out laterally as a monolayer. Autoradiography and studies with [(3)H]thymidine uptake suggested that the repair activity, which reached a peak at Day 3 in culture, was the centre of biochemical activity, overshadowing that of the rest of the explant. Necrosis of the explant base tended to develop abruptly during the first day of culture but thereafter remained stable. The epithelium was well preserved morphologically, but explant acid phosphatase activity fell progressively.No morphological response to testosterone (10(-5) mol/l) or stilboestrol diphosphate (10(-5) mol/l) was seen.Attention is drawn to a possible source of misinterpretation of results offered by the uptake of [(3)H]thymidine into DNA in organ culture.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Agar; Autoradiography; Diethylstilbestrol; DNA; Epithelium; Humans; Male; Organ Culture Techniques; Prostatic Hyperplasia; Testosterone; Thymidine; Tritium