PROSTATIC AND PERIPROSTATIC CYSTS - FINDINGS ON MR-IMAGING

Cysts of the prostate or periprostatic tissues are uncommon and includ e congenital mullerian or utricular cysts, prostatic retention cysts, cysts of benign prostatic hyperplasia, cystic carcinoma, parasitic and infectious cysts, as well as cysts of the ejaculatory apparatus or se minal vesicles. The radiological diagnosis of prostatic or periprostat ic cysts can be difficult because of the resolution needed to define t he relationship of a cyst to surrounding structures, such as the eas d eferens, seminal vesicles, and ejaculatory ducts [1]. Prostatic cysts are easily identified on MR images by virtue of their high signal on T 2-weighted images and can be characterized because of their typical lo cations and the high resolution and multiple imaging planes provided b y MR [2]. Because these conditions are usually managed conservatively, pathologic proof is not possible in all cases, and the diagnosis is o ften made on the basis of clinical features and imaging appearance. Th e purpose of this essay is to illustrate the findings on MR imaging.