Simi San Fernando Valley
Urology Associates

Latest Clinic News:

 

Ultrasound - and MRI - Guided Prostate Biopsy

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Ultrasound- and MRI-guided prostate biopsy uses imaging guidance and a needle to remove tissue from the prostate in order to examine it for disease. The ultrasound probe used in prostate biopsies is about the size of a finger. Once the probe is placed in the rectum, the biopsy is performed with a spring-driven needle core biopsy device, or biopsy gun. The MRI-guided biopsy can be performed with an endorectal approach or a transperineal approach. For the endorectal biopsy, the patient is usually lying on his stomach.

 

The biopsy device has a built in endorectal coil to aid in visualization and a guidance slot for biopsy needle insertion. For the transperineal biopsy, the patient is usually lying on his back and the biopsy is generally performed with a guidance grid placed against the perineum (just below the scrotum).

 

Biopsy is currently the only way to definitively diagnose prostate cancer. It is also used to differentiate between cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, a common condition in older men.