The Weight of the Dorsal, Lateral and Medial Prostatic Lobes in Man

Abstract

The weight of the prostatic lobes in man was determined in an autopsy series comprising 158 cases. In children the medial pair of lobes formed half of the prostate gland. The “normal” mean weights in adult men of the dorsal, lateral and medial pair of lobes were 3.6, 3.4 and 4.3 g, respectively. In adult men there was no change in lobe weight with increasing age. In subjects who died after protracted disease all of the prostatic lobes had decreased in weight. In subjects with periurethral adenomas the greater weight of the total prostate was due to higher weights of the dorsal and medial prostatic lobes. The observation that the separate prostatic lobes in man can react differently to growth promoting factors indicates that the lobation of the human prostate is not only of anatomical but also of physiological significance.