Overview Summary Statement

Members of the Chronic Prostatitis Collaborative Research Network (CPCRN) met in a 1-day symposium to review recent findings and to debate unanswered issues in the diagnosis and management of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). The meeting was focused on producing an overview summary statement that would, as nearly as possible, represent the consensus views of the attendees. As discussed below, the participants agreed that a history, physical examination, and urinalysis/urine culture are mandatory for the evaluation of all patients presenting with CP/CPPS, with other assessments categorized as recommended or optional, depending on the history and physical findings. Observations and suggestions regarding firstand second-line therapies are also offered, with the recognition that randomized, placebo-controlled trials to guide selection of therapies for chronic nonbacterial prostatitis are currently lacking. UROLOGY 60 (Suppl 6A): 1–4, 2002. © 2002, Elsevier Science Inc. T Chronic Prostatitis Collaborative Research Network (CPCRN) was formed in 1997 by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct research in chronic prostatitis (CP). The Network launched a prospective longitudinal Chronic Prostatitis Cohort Study,1 which is collecting data on the natural treated history of the disorder, as well as outcomes of investigational treatments. The Network also developed the first validated instrument for assessing symptom severity in CP, the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI).2 Members of the CPCRN met in a 1-day symposium held in Chantilly, Virginia, March 26, 2002, to present and discuss updated information from ongoing trials, including the Chronic Prostatitis Cohort Study, as well as results of recent pilot studies examining a number of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies. The symposium format combined brief presentations with extended periods of open discussion, which are included in abridged form in this supplement to Urology. In the discussions, symposium participants focused on applying the presented findings to the development of a working consensus on the diagnosis and appropriate management of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis, and to identifying unresolved issues that should be the focus of future investigations. Although much has been learned in the 5 years since the CPCRN was formed, symposium participants emphasized that the information available does not allow the development of evidence-based guidelines or recommendations. This summary report is instead offered as a clinically useful update on diagnosis and management of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis.