Prostate tests are not suitable for evaluating prostate health without rectal examination and PSA blood tests, which should be done in all men over 50 years of age.
When changes are made to these two tests, your doctor may order other tests, such as drainage measurement, transrectal ultrasound, PCA3, or examination and biopsy, that are requested based on each person’s needs.
See below for the bad examples used to evaluate prostate health
It is done from a routine blood test that evaluates the PSA prostate antigen, resulting in normal values below 4 ng/ml, so when this value is high it can indicate problems such as inflammation of the prostate or cancer.
However, this value also increases with age and is therefore important to consider the laboratory reference value. Learn how to interpret the PSA test result.
Preparation for blood test: To perform the blood test, the person is instructed, within 72 hours prior to the sample, to avoid having sex, cycling, riding a motorcycle and not having rectal contact, but may change the PSA value.
Your doctor may evaluate the size of your prostate by rectal contact, which may be larger and harder in case of inflammation. This test is very fast, takes about 1 minute and only causes mild discomfort.
Rectal touch preparation: You generally do not need to prepare for this test.
A prostate ultrasound is performed to evaluate the size of this gland and identify changes in its structure.
Preparing for ultrasound: It may be appropriate to use laxatives before the exam to vaccinate the intestine.
Fluorometry or urometry is a test performed by your doctor to evaluate the strength of your ear and the opening of your ear with each urination, because when changes occur in your prostate, your ear is slower and weaker.
Preparation for flumetry: If you need to have a large amount of water, it is important to drink at least 1 L of water before the test, which is done with an individual on a device that has time and volume of urine.
The urologist may indicate an orine test, if a small orine sample is needed to assess the presence of blood or microorganisms that may be present in case of urinary tract infection, for example, appreciate the different types of urine tests.
Preparation for the orine exam: Orine should be taken immediately after rectal contact in specialized clinics.
Prostate biopsy is done to confirm diagnoses of gland abnormalities such as cancer and benign tumors, and a small sample of this organ needs to be removed to be sent to the lab for testing. Learn more about this review
Preparation for the prostate biopsy: It is usually necessary to take the antibiotic prescribed by the doctor for 3 days, give a 6-hour injection and take a laxative to cleanse the intestine.
Watch the video below to see how these tests are performed
Diagnostic tests such as PSA and rectal touch are recommended from the age of 50, but the first family members with prostate cancer should be done from the age of 45, are 2 basic tests and should be repeated once a year.
However, when a man has benign prostate hyperplasia, these tests should be repeated every year, regardless of age.
When your doctor sees changes in these 2 basic exams, you can order the other tests listed above.
Exemenes may change when problems arise such as
In addition, with aging PSA blood test, this may increase and does not mean that the individual has a disease.