Diagnosis and therapy of acute prostatitis, epididymitis and orchitis

Acute genitourinary infections represent an important problem in daily urological practice. Standardised diagnostic procedures and therapeutic guidelines, as far as they exist, are mandatory to minimise the risk for severe sequelae and to optimise the therapeutic outcome. The present overview details diagnostic steps, therapeutic guidelines and the management of potential sequelae of acute prostatitis, acute epididymitis and acute orchitis. Acute prostatitis does not seem to represent a major diagnostic and therapeutic problem as long as prostatic abscess formation is absent. In acute epididymitis the development of epididymo-orchitis is unpredictable despite adequate therapy and is of particular concern to andrologists because of its potential significance for male fertility. In contrast to these diseases, acute primary orchitis is a rare event, mostly occurring as mumps orchitis, without standardised treatment guidelines.