[Prostate cancer diagnosis using ultrasound elastography. Introduction of a novel technique and first clinical results].
During the last decade screening has improved prostate cancer detection. The main reason for this development is a better understanding of the margins of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum levels and the classification of PSA subtypes. In contrast, the introduction of transrectal ultrasound has not led to a measurable change in the prostate cancer detection rate. Our aim was to develop a novel ultrasound system for the acquisition of elastographic images of the prostate and evaluate the system regarding its clinical applicability. We used a technically modified conventional ultrasound system and analyzed the high-frequency ultrasonic data with a computer program. The first patient-based results suggest that elastography allows an accurate measurement of tumor size and localization in contrast to conventional transrectal ultrasound. Elastography visualizes different tissue elasticities to distinguish benign and cancerous tissue. Thus, we were able to even correctly classify prostate cancer lesions which are iso- or hyperechoic in B-mode sonography.