PANCE Genitourinary Practice Test

Acute prostatitis causes acute inflammation of the prostate, so the gland becomes tender, swollen, and warm. On a digital rectal exam you would expect a boggy, edematous, and soft prostate that is painful to palpation. That combination—tender, hot, boggy, edematous, and soft—is the hallmark of an acute infectious process in the prostate, reflecting edema and inflammation.

The other patterns fit different scenarios. A rock-hard, asymmetric gland points more toward prostate cancer or a chronic, nodular process. A nontender, boggy, edematous, soft gland lacks the warmth and tenderness of acute infection. A symmetric, firm, rubbery, nontender gland is more typical of benign prostatic hyperplasia or a noninflammatory state, not an acute infection.