Prostate MRI Procedure and Applications

Technical Aspects of Prostate MRI

• The American College of Radiology recommends that prostate MRI be performed using either a 1.5 Tesla or 3 Tesla MRI scanner, with a surface phased array coil placed over the pelvis, and multiple imaging sequences obtained, including T1-weighted, T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and often dynamic contrast-enhanced images 1, 3
• The European Urology guidelines suggest that an endorectal coil is neither mandatory nor preferred for prostate MRI 3
• Prostate MRI provides high-resolution anatomic evaluation of the prostate gland and seminal tract, excellent soft tissue contrast, and multiplanar imaging capabilities 1

Clinical Applications of Prostate MRI

• Prostate MRI is used for follow-up after treatment to assess for recurrence, according to the European Urology guidelines 3, 4
• The American College of Radiology recommends prostate MRI for evaluation of the prostate gland and seminal tract in men with hematospermia (blood in semen) 2

Important Considerations

• The European Urology guidelines note that if contrast is used for dynamic contrast-enhanced sequences, an intravenous injection is required, which is minimally invasive 3

Advancements in Prostate MRI

• The American College of Radiology states that higher field strength (3T) scanners provide improved signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution for prostate MRI 1