MRI/ULTRASOUND FUSION PROSTATE BIOPSY

This is the new gold standard technique for detection of prostate cancer.

Your doctor may have referred you for an MRI prostate scan because of an abnormality on physical examination or abnormal PSA blood test. Once the MRI prostate has been performed at a specialist radiology practice (this takes around 45mins), the results will be available to your specialist within a week. 

If the MRI prostate scan demonstrates an abnormal lesion a Pi-RADS score will be assigned to that lesion (PiRADS 1-5) and depending on the severity of the score you may be recommended a prostate biopsy by A/Prof Thanigasalam for further evaluation.

There are a few ways of performing a prostate biopsy:

Standard TRUS guided prostate biopsy – sampling of the prostate using a standard template (10 regions: Left & Right– Base, Mid, Apex, TZ & Anterior) 

Cognitive fusion prostate biopsy – sampling of the lesion seen on the MRI prostate by looking at the MRI images (but without using specialised reconstructions of the MRI prostate images, and not using image overlay fusion technology)

MRI/US fusion guided prostate biopsy – the radiology specialist will analyse the abnormal lesions on the prostate and mark the lesions on the images and assist with creating 2D & 3D reconstructions of the prostate before the biopsy. 

On the day of the biopsy these reconstructed images will be “fused” with the patients’ real time US prostate images, using the latest software to provide the image overlay that allows A/Prof Thanigasalam to accurately sample the lesions seen on the MRI prostate. 

This provides your Urologist with the most accurate way of sampling any lesions seen on the MRI prostate, thus reducing the potential chance of under sampling clinically significant cancer within the prostate.

In addition to the targeted biopsy, an additional standard sampling of the prostate (12 biopsy cores) will be performed. 

MRI/US “targeted” fusion biopsies – now enables:

  • Pre-biopsy visualisation of potential cancer lesions
  • Precise targeting of biopsies performed
  • Faster, more accurate and more reliable diagnosis
  • Limitation of the risks of over-diagnosis and over-treatment of prostate cancer
  • Care tailored to the patient and their disease
  • Use of new treatments that give patients better quality of life (Active Surveillance/Focal Treatment)

Radiologist defines suspicious lesion on the MRI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MRI and 3D Ultrasound Image Fusion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Targeted Biopsy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Systematic Biopsy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3D Mapping of where the biopsies have been sampled within the prostate