USE OF ENDORECTAL SURFACE COIL MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING FOR LOCAL STAGING OF PROSTATE-CANCER

A total of 111 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer (sta ge A or B) underwent endorectal surface coil magnetic resonance imagin g (MRI) for preoperative staging of the disease. Of the patients 43 wi th advanced disease on endorectal surface coil MRI (33 with stage C an d 10 with stage D disease) received alternative therapy, as did 21 wit h stage B disease on MRI. The overall staging accuracy for the remaini ng 47 patients was 68%, with a 74% accuracy rate in staging advanced d isease and a 91% accuracy rate for depiction of seminal vesicle involv ement. Failure to recognize microscopic extracapsular disease was resp onsible for the majority of staging inaccuracies in this highly select group of patients. Endorectal surface coil MRI provides extremely hig h resolution images of the prostate and periprostatic structures, and is an exciting new modality for local staging of prostatic carcinoma.