Early experience of micro-ultrasound prostate imaging
Pam Parker, University of Hull & Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – Hull, UK
Technological advances within the last two to five years have potentially revolutionised the imaging assessment of the prostate gland. There is limited published evidence that the use of ultrasound may, indeed, have a useful role in the identification of prostate cancer (PCa)1,2,3. A meta-analysis by Zhang et al. in 2019 assessed the sensitivity and specificity of micro-ultrasound detection of PCa. Micro-ultrasound (micro-US) utilises a transducer emitting a scanning frequency of 29MHz compared to the 7–9 MHz employed in most standard-frequency endorectal ultrasound probes. This provides exquisite imaging of the prostate that traditionally ultrasound has failed to deliver. Micro-US supplied by ExactVu™ is gaining traction within North America and Europe, but there is limited real-world practice within the UK. The first micro-US endocavity imaging unit was installed in Radiology at Hull Teaching Hospitals in September 2021. This poster provides a pictorial review of our early experience of this novel, and hopefully ground-breaking, technology and its use within the prostate cancer pathway.