MRI / Ultrasound Fusion With Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Guidance

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It is most often detected by an abnormal digital rectal exam or an elevated Prostate-Specific Antigen -determine by a blood test. When it is suspected that someone may have prostate cancer, a biopsy is ordered. This biopsy is performed by the Radiologist with ultrasound guidance through the rectum. In some patients, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan of the prostate may be ordered to further evaluate the prostate. In some situations, the MRI and Ultrasound images will be fused (digitally merged) together during the ultrasound procedure to help localize the questionable lesions. Recent research has used an additional component known as a contrast agent - an intravenously injected inert substance - which is identifiable by ultrasound. This inert substance is more obvious in areas of increased blood flow, which is a common finding in cancerous lesions. In this research project, we would like to determine whether the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound is beneficial in improving accuracy of the biopsies taken and the relative correlation to the MRI/ Ultrasound-fused images.