Extracapsular extension of prostate cancer: diagnostic value of combined multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and isovoxel 3-dimensional T2-weighted imaging at 1.5 T.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess whether adding isovoxel 3-dimensional T2-weighted imaging (volume isotropic T2-weighted acquisition [VISTA]) to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) improves the ability to diagnose the extracapsular extension (ECE) of prostate cancer.

Methods: Two radiologists independently evaluated ECE on images acquired with mp-MRI only (method A) and mp-MRI plus VISTA (method B) in 50 men who had undergone prostatectomy. We also compared the signal-to-noise ratio of the tumor on T2WI and VISTA scans.

Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were higher with method B. For both readers, specificity, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of method B were significantly higher than those of method A (reader 1: P = 0.028, 0.025, and 0.006; reader 2: P = 0.017, 0.0071, and 0.018). The signal-to-noise ratio was significantly higher on T2-weighted imaging than VISTA images (9.21 [SD, 2.46] vs 7.30 [SD, 1.87], P < 0.01).

Conclusions: The addition of VISTA to mp-MRI improves the diagnostic value for ECE significantly.