Benign prostatic hyperplasia: etiological considerations.

The evidence for a hormonal etiology of BPH in man and the dog has been reviewed. Experimentally, although the administration of testosterone or dihydrotestosterone or dihydrotestosterone plus estradiol failed to produce BPH in the dog, treatment with androstanediol or androstanediol plus estradiol produces many of the features characteristic of canine prostatic hyperplasia. This development may provide an experimental model for exploration of the pathogenesis of prostatic hyperplasia.