Comparison of prostatic volume and dimensions by transrectal and transurethral ultrasonography

Reliability and validity of assessment methods available in primary care for bladder outlet obstruction and benign prostatic obstruction in men with lower urinary tract symptoms: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

To systematically review the literature regarding the reliability and validity of assessment methods available in primary care for bladder outlet obstruction or benign prostatic obstruction in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

DESIGN

Systematic review with best evidence synthesis.

SETTING

Primary care.

PARTICIPANTS

Men with LUTS due to bladder outlet obstruction or benign prostatic obstruction.

REVIEW METHODS

PubMed, Ebsco/CINAHL and Embase databases were searched for studies on the validity and reliability of assessment methods for bladder outlet obstruction and benign prostatic obstruction in primary care. Methodological quality was assessed with the COSMIN checklist. Studies with poor methodology were excluded from the best evidence synthesis.

RESULTS

Of the 5644 studies identified, 61 were scored with the COSMIN checklist, 37 studies were included in the best evidence synthesis, 18 evaluated bladder outlet obstruction and 17 benign prostatic obstruction, 2 evaluated both. Overall, reliability was poorly evaluated. Transrectal and transabdominal ultrasound showed moderate to good validity to evaluate bladder outlet obstruction. Measured prostate volume with these ultrasound methods, to identify benign prostatic obstruction, showed moderate to good accuracy, supported by a moderate to high level of evidence. Uroflowmetry for bladder outlet obstruction showed poor to moderate diagnostic accuracy, depending on used cut-off values. Questionnaires were supported by high-quality evidence, although correlations and diagnostic accuracy were poor to moderate compared with criterion tests. Other methods were supported by low level evidence.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians in primary care can incorporate transabdominal and transrectal ultrasound or uroflowmetry in the evaluation of men with LUTS but should not solely rely on these methods as the diagnostic accuracy is insufficient and reliability remains insufficiently researched. Low-to-moderate levels of evidence for most assessment methods were due to methodological shortcomings and inconsistency in the studies. This highlights the need for better study designs in this domain.

Correlation of transrectal and transabodominal ultrasound measurement of transition zone volume with post-operative enucleated adenoma volume in benign prostatic hypertrophy

Introduction

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a common disease of ageing men worldwide. Though transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) is the standard in most parts of the world in evaluation of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), it is rarely done in some less developed countries because of non availability of appropriate probes and or specialists. Transabdominal ultrasonography (TAUS) remains the mainstay in these areas. Some controversies still exist in literature about the accuracy of TAUS evaluation of prostatic volume in patients with BPH. This study aimed at comparing the transition zone volume estimation of the prostate on transrectal and transabdominal ultrasound with post-operative enucleated adenoma volume in Nigeria patients with BPH and to suggest better predictor of prostate volume in evaluation of BPH.

Methods

Forty-six (46) patients with lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH attending the urologic clinic were evaluated ultrasonographically and eventually managed with open surgery (prostatectomy) after due counselling. The post operative samples were weighted using a sensitive top loading weighing balance and converted to volume. Since the specific gravity of the prostate is equivalent to that of water,the weight is the same as volume.

Results

Patients’ ages ranged between 59 and 90 years with a peak age incidence at seventh decade. Transition Zone (TZ) volume estimation on both transrectal and transabdominal ultrasound showed positive correlation with the post operative enucleated adenoma(r = 0.594, p < 0.001) but the transrectal method was more accurate. There was no significant relationship between the TZ volume and patients’ symptoms(r = 0.491, p = 0.007).

Conclusion

Both TRUS and TAUS are comparable at TZ volume estimation and therefore TAUS can be utilized in regions where intracavitary probes and or the expertise is/are not available.

Prostate cryotherapy monitoring using vibroacoustography: preliminary results of an ex vivo study and technical feasibility

The objective of this research is to prospectively evaluate the feasibility of vibroacoustography (VA) imaging in monitoring prostate cryotherapy in an ex vivo model. Baseline scanning of an excised human prostate is accomplished by a VA system apparatus in a tank of degassed water. Alcohol and dry ice mixture are used to freeze two prostate tissue samples. The frozen prostates are subsequently placed within the water tank at 27 degrees C and rescanned. VA images were acquired at prescribed time intervals to characterize the acoustic properties of the partially frozen tissue. The frozen prostate tissue appears in the images as hypoemitting signal. Once the tissue thaws, previously frozen regions show coarser texture than prior to freezing. The margin of the frozen tissue is delineated with a well-defined rim. The thawed cryolesions show a different contrast compared with normal unfrozen prostate. In conclusion, this pilot study shows that VA produces clear images of a frozen prostate at different temperature stages. The frozen tissue appears as a uniform region with well-defined borders that are readily identified. These characteristic images should allow safer and more efficient application of prostatic cryosurgery. These results provide substantial motivation to further investigate VA as a potential modality to monitor prostate cryotherapy intraoperatively.

Robotic prostate surgery

The increasing popularity of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy has put the field of robotics in the spotlight. However, the relationship between medical robotics and the field of urology is older than most urologists know and it will most likely have a bright future beyond any contemporary application. The objective of this review is to provide an insight into the fundamentals of medical robotics and to highlight the history, the present and the future of urological robotic systems with an emphasis on robotic prostate interventions.

The Probot--an active robot for prostate resection

As men age, their prostates can enlarge, causing urinary difficulty. Surgery to correct this [transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)] is a skilled and time-consuming operation requiring many repetitive motions of a cutter. A robot has been developed to perform these motions, relieving the surgeon of much of the burden of surgery. This robot has been tried both in the laboratory and later on human subjects and has proved itself capable of performing prostate resection. The Probot system consists of on-line imaging and three-dimensional prostate model construction, an appropriate surgeon-computer interface, a counterbalanced mounting frame and a computer controlled robot.