J Korean Soc Med Ultrasound.  2002 Sep;21(3):181-184.

Color/Power Dopper Transrectal US in Prostate Cancer: Correlation with Gleason Score

• Kim HC
• Kim SH
• Moon MH
• Park BK
• Kim KH
• Choi HJ
• Yoon CJ

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between hypervascularity on color/power Doppler transrectal ultrasonography and the Gleason score of corresponding biopsied specimen in patients with prostatic cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
From July 1998 to March 2002, one hundred fifty seven patients with pathologically proven prostate cancer at this institution were included, and all of them underwent transrectal ultrasonographic examination. Initially, ultrasonographic findings and pathologic data of 129 patients were retrospectively reviewed and excluded 28 patients whose sonographic images were either unavailable or inconclusive. The presence of hypoechoic lesion on transrectal sonography and hypervascularity on color/power Doppler sonography in the peripheral zone of the prostate was first evaluated, and these sonographic findings and Gleason score of the corresponding biopsied specimen were then compared. Statistical analysis was done by Student t-test using SPSS package.
RESULTS
Among one hundred twenty nine patients, ninety four patients had a hypoechoic lesion on gray scale sonography while sixty one showed a hypervascular lesion on color/power Doppler sonography. Fifty seven of 61 patients (93.4%) had hypoechoic lesioin on gray scale sonography. The mean Gleason score of patients with hypervascular lesion was 7.9+/-0.98 whereas that of the patients without hypervascular lesion, 6.9+/-1.22, showing a statistically significant difference (p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
Prostate cancer with hypervascularity on transrectal sonography appears to have a higher Gleason score on pathologic examination than that without hypervascularity.

MeSH Terms

Humans
Neoplasm Grading*
Prostate*
Prostatic Neoplasms*
Retrospective Studies
Ultrasonography