Serum level of prostatic acid phosphatase after diagnostic rectal examination. Comparison between spectrophotometric and a radioimmunological assay.

The serum level of prostatic acid phosphatase was measured before and after diagnostic rectal palpation in 24 patients with a clinically normal prostate and in 32 patients with benign hyperplasia of the prostate. There was a significant rise in the 32 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. All of the values had returned to the original level after 24 h. Similar results were obtained with either a spectrophotometric method or a radioimmunoassay.