Clinically low‐risk prostate cancer: evaluation with transrectal doppler ultrasound and functional magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate transrectal ultrasound, amplitude Doppler ultrasound, conventional T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, spectroscopy and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in localizing and locally staging low-risk prostate cancer. INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer has been diagnosed at earlier stages and the most accepted classification for low-risk prostate cancer is based on clinical stage T1c or T2a, Gleason score <6, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <10 ng/ml. METHODS: From 2005 to 2006, magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 42 patients, and transrectal ultrasound in 26 of these patients. Seven patients were excluded from the study. Mean patient age was 64.94 years and mean serum PSA was 6.05 ng/ml. The examinations were analyzed for tumor identification and location in prostate sextants, detection of extracapsular extension, and seminal vesicle invasion, using surgical pathology findings as the gold standard. RESULTS: Sixteen patients (45.7%) had pathologically proven organ-confined disease, 11 (31.4%) had positive surgical margin, 8 (28.9%) had extracapsular extension, and 3 (8.6%) presented with extracapsular extension and seminal vesicle invasion. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy values for localizing low-risk prostate cancer were 53.1%, 48.3%, 63.4%, 37.8% and 51.3% for transrectal ultrasound; 70.4%, 36.2%, 65.1%, 42.0% and 57.7% for amplitude Doppler ultrasound; 71.5%, 58.9%, 76.6%, 52.4% and 67.1% for magnetic resonance imaging; 70.4%, 58.7%, 78.4%, 48.2% and 66.7% for magnetic resonance spectroscopy; 67.2%, 65.7%, 79.3%, 50.6% and 66.7% for dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy values for detecting extracapsular extension were 33.3%, 92%, 14.3%, 97.2% and 89.7% for transrectal ultrasound and 50.0%, 77.6%, 13.7%, 95.6% and 75.7% for magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. For detecting seminal vesicle invasion, these values were 66.7%, 85.7%, 22.2%, 97.7% and 84.6% for transrectal ultrasound and 40.0%, 83.1%, 15.4%, 94.7% and 80.0% for magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSION: Although preliminary, our results suggest that imaging modalities have limited usefulness in localizing and locally staging clinically low-risk prostate cancer

Predictive factors for pelvic magnetic resonance in response to arterial embolization of a uterine leiomyoma

OBJECTIVE: Minimally invasive methods are used as alternatives to treat leiomyomas and include uterine artery embolization, which has emerged as a safe, effective method. This study aims to evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging predictors for a reduction in leiomyoma volume in patients undergoing uterine artery embolization. METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study was performed at a university hospital. We followed 50 symptomatic premenopausal women with uterine leiomyomas who underwent uterine artery embolization. We examined 179 leiomyomas among these patients. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed one month before and six months after uterine artery embolization. Two radiologists who specialized in abdominal imaging independently interpreted the images. Main Outcome Measures: The magnetic resonance imaging parameters were the uterus and leiomyomas volumes, their localizations, contrast perfusion pattern and node-to-muscle ratio. RESULTS: Six months after treatment, the average uterine volume reduction was 38.91%, and the leiomyomas were reduced by 55.23%. When the leiomyomas were submucosal and/or had a higher node-to-muscle ratio in the T2 images, the volume reduction was even greater (greater than 50%). Other parameters showed no association. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that symptomatic uterine leiomyomas in patients undergoing uterine artery embolization exhibit volume reductions greater than 50% by magnetic resonance imaging when the leiomyomas are submucosal and/or had a high node-to-muscle ratio in the T2 images

Evaluation of adrenal tumors by magnetic resonance imaging with histological correlation

A ressonância magnética é ferramenta importante para a detecção e caracterização dos tumores adrenais. O conhecimento das diferentes apresentações dos tumores primários e secundários à ressonância magnética e sua correlação com dados da histologia são essenciais para o correto raciocínio diagnóstico. Este artigo revisa os aspectos que podem estreitar o diagnóstico diferencial dos tumores adrenais, dando ênfase à correlação histológica daqueles mais comuns.Magnetic resonance imaging is an important tool for the detection and characterization of adrenal tumors. The knowledge about the different presentations of primary and secondary adrenal tumors at magnetic resonance imaging and their correlation with histological data are essential for the establishment of a correct diagnosis. The present study reviews magnetic resonance imaging aspects which may narrow the differential diagnosis of adrenal tumors, emphasizing the histological correlation of the most frequent ones

Prostatic Artery Embolization as a Primary Treatment for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Preliminary Results in Two Patients

Symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) typically occurs in the sixth and seventh decades, and the most frequent obstructive urinary symptoms are hesitancy, decreased urinary stream, sensation of incomplete emptying, nocturia, frequency, and urgency. Various medications, specifically 5-α-reductase inhibitors and selective α-blockers, can decrease the severity of the symptoms secondary to BPH, but prostatectomy is still considered to be the traditional method of management. We report the preliminary results for two patients with acute urinary retention due to BPH, successfully treated by prostate artery embolization (PAE). The patients were investigated using the International Prostate Symptom Score, by digital rectal examination, urodynamic testing, prostate biopsy, transrectal ultrasound (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Uroflowmetry and postvoid residual urine volume complemented the investigation at 30, 90, and 180 days after PAE. The procedure was performed under local anesthesia; embolization of the prostate arteries was performed with a microcatheter and 300- to 500-μm microspheres using complete stasis as the end point. One patient was subjected to bilateral PAE and the other to unilateral PAE; they urinated spontaneously after removal of the urethral catheter, 15 and 10 days after the procedure, respectively. At 6-month follow-up, US and MRI revealed a prostate reduction of 39.7% and 47.8%, respectively, for the bilateral PAE and 25.5 and 27.8%, respectively, for the patient submitted to unilateral PAE. The early results, at 6-month follow-up, for the two patients with BPH show a promising potential alternative for treatment with PAE

Local staging of prostate cancer with magnetic resonance imaging versus power-Doppler ultrasound : comparison with hystopathological findings

O adenocarcinoma prostático (ACP) é um tumor freqüente, que ocupa a segunda posição tanto em mortalidade quanto em incidência dentre as neoplasias malignas masculinas. O estadiamento local do ACP, que consiste na avaliação de extensão extracapsular (EEC) e invasão das vesículas seminais, tem importância fundamental na escolha do tratamento adequado e no prognóstico da doença, destacando-se que a prostatectomia radical é geralmente considerada o tratamento de escolha em tumores confinados à próstata. Os exames clínico-laboratoriais, e a graduação histológica de Gleason pré-operatória, não apresentam eficácia adequada no estadiamento local destes tumores, com elevadas taxas de subestadiamento. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as eficácias da ultra-sonografia endorretal com power-Doppler (USD) e da ressonância magnética com bobina endorretal (RM) no estadiamento local do ACP. Quarenta e dois pacientes com diagnóstico de ACP confirmado por biópsia prostática foram prospectivamente estudados por RM, e 36 destes foram estudados também por USD, sendo os achados obtidos por estes métodos comparados com aqueles observados no estudo anátomo-patológico (AP) pós-prostatectomia radical. Na avaliação de extensão extracapsular por sextantes contíguos, os resultados de sensibilidade, especificidade, valor preditivo positivo, valor preditivo negativo e acurácia para EEC foram persistentemente superiores para a RM em relação ao USD, devendo-se salientar que tanto a RM quanto o USD apresentaram altos valores de especificidade ( > 85%), considerado o critério mais importante no sentido de se evitar diagnósticos falso-positivos. Tanto o USD quanto a RM apresentaram acurácia adequada na avaliação de invasão das vesículas seminais. No USD, foi observada associação estatisticamente significante entre abaulamento irregular do contorno prostático e presença de EEC, enquanto na RM, os critérios de abaulamento irregular do contorno prostático e principalmente presença de tecido sólido na gordura periprostática apresentaram associação estatisticamente significante com EEC. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o emprego dos métodos de imagem no estadiamento local pode reduzir as taxas de subestadiamento clínico. Observou-se também que ambos os métodos apresentam baixa especificidade na localização tumoral, e que não houve diferença significativa na avaliação do volume prostático pelo USD, RM e AP.Prostatic adenocarcinoma is a common tumor, corresponding to the second most common type of cancer and the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men. Local staging of prostatic cancer, which consists in the evaluation of extracapsular extension and seminal vesicle invasion, is an important factor for the prognosis and treatment of the disease, being radical prostatectomy one of the gold-standard treatment modalities for localized cancers. Rectal exam, PSA levels and pre-surgical Gleason stage are not reliable exams for local staging, with high understaging scores. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of endorectal power-Doppler ultrasound (US) and endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for local staging of prostate cancer. Forty-two patients with biopsy-proven prostatic cancer were prospectively studied with endorectal MRI, and 36 of them were also studied with endorectal Doppler US, with the imaging results compared to the post-surgical hystopathological results.Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy results for extracapsular spread of disease were better for MRI than for US, however both methods obtained high ( > 85%) specificity results, which is considered the most important criteria for local staging. Accuracy for seminal vesicle invasion was adequate for both USD and MRI. At US, statistically significant correlation was observed between extracapsular extension of tumor and irregular bulging of the prostatic contour, while at MRI, statistically significant correlation was observed for irregular bulging and extraprostatic solid tissue. Our results showed that the use of imaging methods for local staging of prostatic tumors could reduce the rates of clinical understaging. Additional findings were the low specificity of both imaging methods for tumor localization, and the absence of differences between US, MRI and pathology for prostatic volume measurement