Clinical evaluation of the man with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

The various investigative procedures used in clinical, laboratory, and imaging evaluations for the patient presenting with chronic pelvic pain are discussed and categorized as mandatory, recommended, or optional procedures. These categories primarily serve to rule out underlying pathology because there is no diagnostic test for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS). Mandatory category investigations should be performed in all patients with CPPS, and those procedures categorized as recommended or optional are generally prompted by specific findings in the history or physical examination, or by poor response to standard therapies. (C) 2002, Elsevier Science Inc.