This 87-year-old man dated the onset has had a three year history of his illness to approximately six months prior to admission at which time he noted difficulty in starting his urine stream. He was seen several times in the emergency room for acute urinary retention and dysuria. On several occasions, significant numbers of white blood cells and bacteria (suggestive of acute cystitis) were noted in the patient's urine specimen. Terminally, the patient developed fever, confusion that progressed to coma, convulsions, and shock. At the time of his death, the patient's major clinical problem was Gram-negative sepsis secondary to a urinary tract infection.

Terminally, At autopsy the patient developed fever, confusion that progressed to coma, convulsions, prostate gland was grossly enlarged (6.5 x 4.8 x 3.2 cm) and shockweighed 75 grams. At The prostate gland was nodular but the time of his death, nodules were confined within the patient's major clinical problem was Gram-negative sepsis secondary to a urinary tract infectionprostatic capsule.