Progress in Transrectal Ultrasonography for Prostatic Disease

The accuracy of ultrasonographic measurement of volumetric changes within the prostate was assessed using a hand-held transrectal probe. This was effected by comparing the ultrasonically calculated weight change following TURP with the measured weight of resected prostatic tissue in a group of 30 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy. A high correlation was found (r = 0.978) in BPH, but potential difficulties were found in applying the method to the malignant prostate. In the 30 benign cases studied, ultrasound indicated the presence of calculi in 60% of patients and an echo pattern consistent with malignant tissue in 23%. These findings suggest a poor diagnostic accuracy for the technique.