The prostate gland is a male reproductive organ that sits below the bladder and surrounds the first portion of the urethra. It lies directly in front of the lower part of the rectum. MRI is an imaging technique that uses no ionizing radiation and is particularly suited to evaluating soft tissues. In the past MRI technology was more basic and a special coil inserted into the rectum was needed to effectively image the prostate. Today, at Presbyterian Hospital, we have a 3 Tesla MRI with a stronger magnetic field and advanced 32 channel phased array radio frequency coils. This means that we can make detailed images of the prostate
(
see figure 1
)
without a coil inserted into the rectum. High resolution images in combination with new MR imaging techniques such as diffusion weighted imaging
(
see figure 2
)
with diffusion map imaging
(
see figure 3
)
and prostate perfusion imaging with both wash-in
(
see figure 4
)
and wash-out imaging
(
see figure 5
)
along with a computer aided diagnosis (CAD) tool all allow our team to arrive at the most accurate diagnosis.
Originally prostate MRI was only used to stage cancer. Today, 3T prostate MRI has become much more accurate and it is now used in several new ways.
- Evaluation of men with rising PSA and negative biopsy to evaluate for missed tumor and guide repeat biopsy attempts.
- Evaluation of men treated for prostate cancer with a rising PSA and a negative biopsy to evaluate for locally recurrent tumor and guide repeat biopsy attempts.
- Evaluation of men treated for prostate cancer with a rising PSA to guide first biopsy.
- Evaluation of men with rising PSA to guide a first biopsy.
- Presurgical or preradiation therapy planning.
