PROSTATE-CANCER AND THE ROLE OF COLOR DOPPLER US

PURPOSE: To determine the role of color Doppler imaging (CDI) in diagnosis of prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and CDI were performed in 456 patients with possible prostate cancer. Of these patients, 158 underwent prostate biopsy, and these formed the study group. RESULTS: The frequency of malignancy was 47% (75 of 158). Of 136 TRUS-positive cases, 72 were malignant and 64 benign. Of 84 CDI-positive cases, 65 were malignant and 19 benign (chi2 = 12.18, P < .001). Thirteen percent of histopathologically proved cases (10 of 75) were normal at CDI. TRUS alone had a sensitivity of 96% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.53. The addition of CDI increased the PPV to 0.77 but reduced the sensitivity to 87%. In only one case out of 158 did CDI suggest the diagnosis of malignancy independently of TRUS. CONCLUSION: CDI improves the PPV of TRUS but appears to have little additional value over TRUS alone in diagnosis of prostate cancer.