Is urethritis accompanied by seminal vesiculitis?

Objective: To determine whether urethritis is accompanied by seminal vesiculitis using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) imaging. Methods: Fifty-six male patients (mean age 31.6 +/- 8.7 years) with urethritis were included in the study. As a control group, we also considered 34 healthy volunteers (mean age 21.3 +/- 1.8 years). The two groups were evaluated by the nucleic acid amplification test and imaging studies using TRUS. Results: The nucleic acid amplification test could identify 15 patients (26.8%) with gonococcal urethritis (five had accompanying chlamydial urethritis), 32 (57.1%) with chlamydial urethritis, and nine (16.1%) with nongonococcal and nonchlamydial urethritis. The mean anteroposterior diameter of the bilateral seminal vesicles was significantly longer in the urethritis group than in the controls (12.9 +/- 3.3 mm vs 11.0 +/- 2.0 mm, P = 0.004). The incidence of dilatation or cystic changes of seminal vesicles was significantly higher in the urethritis group than in the controls (dilatation: 30% vs 9%, P = 0.019; cystic change: 39% vs 12%, P = 0.007). There was no significant difference in the incidence of dilatation or cystic changes of seminal vesicles between gonococcal urethritis and chlamydial urethritis. Conclusions: Patients with urethritis are likely to have accompanying seminal vesiculitis. This suggests a close interrelationship among urethritis, seminal vesiculitis and epididymitis.