[The correlations between color Doppler using a contrast medium and the neoangiogenesis of small prostatic carcinomas].

Abstract

PURPOSE:

To investigate if the use of a contrast agent (Levovist) improves the specificity of US in the diagnosis of prostate carcinoma, having the results of prostate biopsy as the gold standard.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Thirty patients with physical findings suspicious for prostate carcinoma and PSA ranging 5 ng/mL to 15 ng/mL were examined with transrectal US (TRUS) integrated with the color Doppler mode and contrast agent administration (4 g injected at 4 mL/min: 300 mL concentration).

RESULTS:

Based on bioptic and surgical results, 14 prostate carcinomas were found, all of them < 1.2 cm. Conventional US recognized the suspected nodule in 11 cases, with 78% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Color Doppler showed color signals in 8/14 cases, which were peripheral to the lesion or intranodular, but did not add any important finding to those of gray-scale US. In contrast, contrast enhanced studies showed 13/14 carcinomas, which improved sensitivity significantly (92%). Particularly, 11/14 lesions had a typical avascular pattern within the strongly enhanced peripheral gland, while 2 small lesions only exhibited intranodular vessels.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:

We compared our results with the Microscopic Angiogenesis Grading System (MAGS) index and found it exceeded 30 in the 11 avascular lesions value indicates microneoangiogenesis. In the other two cases a value < 30 was correlated with a different type of tumor vascularization typical of macroangiogenesis.

• Authors: R Lagalla, G Caruso, R Urso, G Bizzini, L Marasà, V Miceli
• Journal: La Radiologia medica (Radiol Med) Vol. 99 Issue 4 Pg. 270-5 (Apr 2000) ISSN: 0033-8362 [Print] Italy
• Vernacular Title: Correlazioni tra color Doppler con uso di mezzo di contrasto e neoangiogenesi dei piccoli carcinomi prostatici.
• PMID: 10884828 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Contrast Media
• Polysaccharides
• SHU 508

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Biopsy
• Carcinoma (blood supply, diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Contrast Media
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neovascularization, Pathologic (diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Polysaccharides
• Prostate (blood supply, diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Prostatic Neoplasms (blood supply, diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color (instrumentation, methods)
• Ultrasonography, Interventional