[The effectiveness of a combination of trimethoprim plus rifampicin and local injection of antibiotics into the prostate in chronic bacterial prostatitis].

Seventy out-patients suffering from chronic bacterial prostatitis were treated with a combination of trimethoprim plus rifampicin or trimethoprim alone. A combination of 300 mg. rifampicin plus 160 mg. trimethoprim (rifaprim) was used. Forty-four patients were administered rifaprim at doses of 920 mg. (twice a day) for two months. Twenty-six patients were administered trimethoprim at doses of 320 mg. (twice a day) for two months. Cultures of the expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) yielded gram-positive bacteria in 61 patients and gram-negative bacteria in 9. In rifaprim group, clinical responses were excellent in 9 cases, moderate in 23 cases and poor in 12 cases. The efficacy rate was 73%. In trimethoprim group, excellent in 1 case, moderate in 14 cases and poor in 11 cases. The efficacy rate was 60%. Seven patients of chronic bacterial prostatitis were treated by local injection of tobramycin into the prostate. The antibiotic level in the prostatic fluid twenty-four hours after injection was very high. The pain and discomfort experienced by the patients during injection into the prostate were minimal. Local necrosis was not found after histologic or electron microscopic studies of biopsied prostatic specimen after the injection. Results show that this simple method should be valuable in the treatment of the refractory group of chronic bacterial prostatitis.