Prostate cancer ablation with transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound: assessment of tissue destruction with contrast-enhanced US.

Purpose: To assess contrast material-enhanced ultrasonographic (US) findings seen after high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation of prostate cancer and correlate the US findings with post-HIFU biopsy findings.

Materials And Methods: The study was ethics committee approved. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients.

Imaging of prostate cancer local recurrences: why and how?

Objective: Because prostate cancer local recurrences can be efficiently treated by salvage therapies, it becomes critical to detect them early.

Methods: The first alert is the rise of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) level after the post-treatment nadir, which can correspond to a distant recurrence, a local recurrence or both. This so-called biochemical failure (BF) is defined as PSA level > 0.

Prostate cancer transrectal HIFU ablation: detection of local recurrences using T2-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

The objective was to evaluate T2-weighted (T2w) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI in detecting local cancer recurrences after prostate high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation. Fifty-nine patients with biochemical recurrence after prostate HIFU ablation underwent T2-weighted and DCE MRI before transrectal biopsy. For each patient, biopsies were performed by two operators: operator 1 (blinded to MR results) performed random and colour Doppler-guided biopsies ("routine biopsies"); operator 2 obtained up to three cores per suspicious lesion on MRI ("targeted biopsies").

Evaluation of T2-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in localizing prostate cancer before repeat biopsy.

We assessed the accuracy of T2-weighted (T2w) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in localizing prostate cancer before transrectal ultrasound-guided repeat biopsy. Ninety-three patients with abnormal PSA level and negative prostate biopsy underwent T2w and DCE prostate MRI using pelvic coil before repeat biopsy.

Transient MR elastography (t-MRE) using ultrasound radiation force: theory, safety, and initial experiments in vitro.

The purpose of our study was to assess the feasibility of using ultrasound radiation force as a safe vibration source for transient MR elastography (t-MRE). We present a theoretical framework to predict the phase shift of the complex MRE signal, the temperature elevation due to ultrasound, and safety indicators (I(SPPA), I(SPTA), MI). Next, we report wave images acquired in porcine liver samples in vitro.

Radiofrequency ablation of renal tumors with an expandable multitined electrode: results, complications, and pilot evaluation of cooled pyeloperfusion for collecting system protection.

The objective of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the results of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of renal tumors with an impedance-based system using an expandable multitined electrode. Twenty-two patients (30 tumors) were treated with RFA over a 7-year period, percutaneously (16 tumors) or intraoperatively (14 tumors). Follow-up imaging was performed at 1-3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter.

Intratesticular varicocele: an easy diagnosis but unclear physiopathologic characteristics.

Objective: Intratesticular varicocele (ITV) is an uncommon sonographic finding with controversial data concerning its prevalence and physiopathologic characteristics. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of ITV in a urogenital imaging department and to describe its sonographic features.

Methods: All identified cases of ITV were prospectively collected in the same imaging department.

Transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of prostate cancer: effective treatment requiring accurate imaging.

Transrectal HIFU ablation has become a reasonable option for the treatment of localized prostate cancer in non-surgical patients, with 5-year disease-free survival similar to that of radiation therapy. It is also a promising salvage therapy of local recurrence after radiation therapy. These favourable results are partly due to recent improvements in prostate cancer imaging.

Influence of perfusion on high-intensity focused ultrasound prostate ablation: a first-pass MRI study.

Our aim was to evaluate the influence of regional prostate blood flow (rPBF) on high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment outcome. A total of 48 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were examined by dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI prior to HIFU therapy. A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) nadir threshold of 0.

Prostate dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with simple visual diagnostic criteria: is it reasonable?

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of prostate cancer localization with simple visual diagnostic criteria using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A total of 46 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent prostate 1.5 T MRI with pelvic phased-array coils before prostatectomy.

Nonmetastatic renal-cell carcinoma: is it really possible to define rational guidelines for post-treatment follow-up?

Defining rational follow-up guidelines in patients treated for cancer is important, from both a medical and an economical perspective. Renal-cell carcinoma is reputed to be unpredictable in its course and only a few, and often contradictory, follow-up guidelines exist for patients treated for nonmetastatic renal-cell carcinoma. Recent advances in tumor biology have contributed to a better understanding of this cancer and have indicated that personalized follow-up regimens, based on tumor and host molecular characteristics, might be possible in the near future.

Evaluation of color Doppler in guiding prostate biopsy after HIFU ablation.

Objective: Transrectal ultrasound cannot accurately depict early cancer recurrences after prostate high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation. We evaluated transrectal color Doppler (CD) in guiding post-HIFU prostate biopsy.

Methods: Prostate CD-guided sextant biopsies were obtained in 82 patients who had undergone prostate HIFU ablation for cancer, 24 of whom had hormone therapy before the treatment.

Prostate MR imaging at high-field strength: evolution or revolution?

As 3 T MR scanners become more available, body imaging at high field strength is becoming the subject of intensive research. However, little has been published on prostate imaging at 3 T. Will high-field imaging dramatically increase our ability to depict and stage prostate cancer? This paper will address this question by reviewing the advantages and drawbacks of body imaging at 3 T and the current limitations of prostate imaging at 1.

Can color doppler predict the uniformity of HIFU-induced prostate tissue destruction?

Background: Tissue blood perfusion influences the results of some hyperthermia and thermotherapy procedures, but its role in the outcome of prostate cancer treatment by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has not been evaluated yet. We evaluated preoperative prostate color Doppler as a predictor of the efficacy of HIFU treatment.

Methods: Thirty-five patients underwent pre- and post-contrast color Doppler examination of the prostate before HIFU treatment.

Recurrent prostate cancer after external beam radiotherapy: value of contrast-enhanced dynamic MRI in localizing intraprostatic tumor--correlation with biopsy findings.

Objectives: To assess the accuracy and interobserver variability of T2-weighted (T2W) and contrast-enhanced dynamic (CE-Dyn) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting the results of transrectal biopsy in patients with suspected recurrent prostate cancer after external beam radiotherapy.

Methods: A total of 22 patients with increasing prostate-specific antigen levels after external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer underwent T2W and CE-Dyn MRI of the prostate. The CE-Dyn sequence (acquisition time 30 seconds) was repeated three times after the injection of gadolinium.

[Results of transrectal focused ultrasound for the treatment of localized prostate cancer (120 patients with PSA < or + 10ng/ml].

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of localized prostate cancer in a population of potentially curable patients.

Materials And Methods: 120 patients with clinical stage T1-T2 prostate cancer with an initial PSA < or = 10 ng/ml and not candidates for radical prostatectomy were treated by HIFU (ABLATHERM, EDAP S.A.

Characterization of time-enhancement curves of benign and malignant prostate tissue at dynamic MR imaging.

Our objectives were to determine time-enhancement curves of prostate cancer, peripheral zone, and adenoma at gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging, and to determine if a high-spatial/low-temporal dynamic imaging could be accurate in depicting prostate cancer, or if a higher temporal resolution (and a lower spatial resolution) should be favored. Thirty-nine patients with prostate cancer underwent MR imaging before radical prostatectomy by using T1- and T2-weighted axial images and a single-slice dynamic gadolinium-enhanced sequence (40 images; one image per 6 s; injection of 20 ml at 2 ml/s). After analysis of the pathologic specimens, four region-of-interest (ROI) cursors (cancer, peripheral zone, adenoma, and muscle) were retrospectively placed on dynamic images.

[Treatment of renal tumors with radiofrequency: preliminary results].

Objective: To study the feasibility and the innocuity of the treatment by radiofrequency of small renal tumours.

Material And Methods: From June 2000 to September 2001, 10 renal tumours in 6 patients were treated by radiofrequency. The mean age of the patients was 57 years.

Acute thrombosis of renal transplant artery: graft salvage by means of intra-arterial fibrinolysis.

Background: Arterial thrombosis in a transplanted kidney is a serious complication that usually leads to graft loss. The purpose of our study was to evaluate intra-arterial fibrinolysis as a treatment of acute renal transplant artery thrombosis and to determine the maximum period of occlusion allowing a reasonable chance of graft salvage.

Methods And Results: Four patients underwent intra-arterial fibrinolysis for acute transplant artery thrombosis.