Previous prostate surgery produces a DRE where the area of the prostate gland feels hard and flat. The normal prostate landmarks are lost when the prostate gland is completely or partially removed. The symptoms of chronic bacterial prostatitis are so variable that a DRE cannot specifically diagnose it. The DRE for nonbacterial prostatitis and prostatodynia may reveal tenderness of the prostate and surrounding tissue, or no specific abnormalities may be found. It is more common to discover rectal calcifications , small, hard deposits in the rectal blood vessels.
Rectal stones are unrelated to any prostatic conditions.