Prostatic epithelial and luminal area in the transition zone acini: morphometric analysis in normal and hyperplastic human prostate

Objective To analyse quantitatively the acini and changes in the acinar epithelium and lumen in the transitional zone of normal and hyperplastic human prostates. Patients and Methods Tissue samples of the transitional zone were taken from prostates with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) obtained from 20 patients with clinical symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction who underwent open prostatectomy. The control tissue comprised 20 transitional zones of prostates obtained during autopsy of adults aged <30 years (killed in accidents). The following variables were measured; the number of acini, total acinar area, area of the lumen, epithelial area, and the median (range) epithelial height, using computerized histomorphometric techniques. Results The total area of the acini and the luminal area was statistically significantly greater in BPH. In normal and hyperplastic prostates, respectively, the total mean (SD) area (mm(2)) of the acini was 0.041 (0.007) and 0.056 (0.016), of the lumen was 0.016 (0.003) and 0.036 (0.013), and of the epithelium was 0.025 (0.004) and 0.019 (0.003) (all P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of acini between controls and BPH. The area and the height of the acinar epithelium was statistically significantly greater in BPH; for epithelial height (mum) in normal and BPH tissue, respectively the minimum height was 9.92 (1.67) and 6.45 (1.14), the maximum 54.38 (4.09) and 41.52 (4.51) and the median 27.89 (2.48) and 19.96 (2.20) (all P<0.001). Conclusions There was no significant difference in the number of acini between control and BPH tissue, but the area and the height of the acinar epithelium was significantly lower in BPH.