Seminal Vesicle Hypertrophy due to Schistosoma haematobium Infection in Man as an Index of Schistosomal Obstructive Uropathy

Abstract

Sixty-seven male lower urinary tracts were dissected into their 19 anatomical regions, then each portion was weighted separately. Prostate and seminal vesicle volume was also measured. These data, along with other comparably divided lower urinary tracts from American patients, were compared to similar data from similarly studied cases of urinary schistosomiasis (i.e. infection of the lower urinary tract by the trematode Schistosoma haematobium) and the data from two previous Egyptian autopsy series. It is concluded that seminal vesicle and seminal recepticle hypertrophy is a regular sequelum of urinary schistosomiasis and that seminal vesicle volume and weight acceptably correlate. While rectal examination of seminal vesicle hypertrophy does not appear to differentiate among patients with urinary schistosomiasis as to those individuals who have schistosomal obstructive uropathy and as to those who do not, it would appear to differentiate between schistosome-infected and non-infected adult men.