How is a prostate ultrasound done? This is a common question. Let's look into it in more detail.
Ultrasound examination of human tissues and organs has long been an integral part of medical diagnostics. Urology also did not stand aside, in which, by means of ultrasound, specialists can make the correct diagnoses and conduct competent treatment of pathologies of the urogenital area. Against this background, ultrasound of the prostate stands out. This diagnostic method allows timely identification and treatment of numerous pathologies of the prostate and nearby organs.
There are transrectal (that is, rectal) and transabdominal (that is, through the anterior abdominal wall) examination of the prostate gland. As an additional method, ultrasound can also be performed through the perineum. The results obtained during the study are decipheredurologist.
Transabdominal examination
This diagnostic method is the most accessible and does not cause difficulties for either doctors or specialists. The study is carried out through the anterior wall of the peritoneum of a man. This method has no contraindications, but there are a number of limitations:
- bladder underfullness;
- drainage tubes;
- surgery wounds.
Pathological warning signals
Ultrasound of the prostate is performed both for diagnostic purposes in relation to a disease that has manifested itself in the body, and for prevention, if a person is not bothered by obvious symptoms. Regarding the indications, we can say that such complaints of patients can act as them:
- pain in the lower abdomen;
- discomfort, cramps and pain during urination;
- pathological formations of the scrotum and prostate seen by a urologist;
- infertility;
- changes in the general analysis of urine of an unclear nature, deviations in the results of the spermogram;
- vague dysuria;
- potency defects.
Written reviews and videos of urologists posted on the Internet suggest that most often thanks to ultrasound of the prostate in men, it is possible to clarify the presence of pathology, the neglect of the disease and its nature.
Some doctors claim that ultrasound is as good as complex procedures like MRI. Analysis and interpretation of ultrasound is carried out by a specialistfunctional diagnostics on site. Thanks to this, you can not worry while waiting for the results.
Preparation
Although the procedure is quite simple, it still requires preparation. Otherwise, an ultrasound of the prostate will not be done. How to prepare for this manipulation? A man should come to the doctor's office with a full bladder. When this organ is filled with liquid, it plays the role of a special lens through which ultrasound is transmitted, and allows you to clearly see the area of interest. Before the procedure (about an hour) it is enough to drink a liter of water in order to feel a slight urge to urinate after. It is necessary to calculate the time correctly, otherwise the fullness will be weak, and the study will be carried out only with full filling. With a full bladder, the patient will be extremely uncomfortable when moving the device along the wall of the peritoneum. Preparing for a male prostate ultrasound is very important.
Procedure progress
Transabdominal ultrasound is performed with a special sensor. The man lies down on the couch. The specialist applies a special gel to the anterior wall of the peritoneum and the ultrasound scanner, which facilitates the sliding of the sensor over the skin and eliminates the air gap. The latter is able to distort the resulting image and affect the decoding in the future. Many people are interested in how an ultrasound of the prostate is done in men.
Scanning is carried out in the transverse and longitudinal planes. If it is necessary to examine certain areas of the organ in more detail, the specialist can arbitrarily move the scanner. In the same timea bladder analysis is performed, as well as an ultrasound examination through the perineum.
The procedure lasts about ten minutes on average. To determine the residual urine, the man will be asked to go to the toilet and repeat the ultrasound. This technique allows you to determine how much urine remains in the bladder after it has been emptied. The norm of this indicator is 50 ml.
Usually, the results of the analysis are given to the patient immediately. In addition to information about the prostate, the specialist may also provide photographs of the prostate for a more accurate examination.
The procedure can only be performed by a specially trained doctor. Only qualified specialists can decipher its results. Some information will be provided by the sonologist during the procedure or after it, and more complete information and decoding will be provided by the urologist. If there are any deviations in the results, the doctor will prescribe competent therapy.
Transrectal examination
TRUS of the prostate differs from the previous variety in that the probe is inserted through the man's anus. This achieves maximum proximity to the object of study, and you can get the clearest image. Thus, the quality of diagnosis is increased several times, which means that the accuracy of diagnosing diseases will also improve. The price for this type of ultrasound is higher than for transabdominal, but it is worth it, since the analysis of the state of the organ is much better, the decoding is more accurate. In this case, preparation is also needed.
Features of preparation
Some research centers indicate that preparation for transrectal ultrasound is not needed. However, due to the fact that the procedure is performed rectally, for the purpose of hygiene, an enema must be given before it, which will cleanse the body. It is not necessary to use any devices; pharmacies have an enema that contains a special drug. Thanks to him, the stool softens, intestinal peristalsis accelerates, and due to this, defecation becomes less traumatic and soft. Two days before the procedure, it is necessary to exclude from your diet such foods that stimulate intestinal gas formation. On the evening before, you need to take some kind of sorbent. A transrectal ultrasound is performed on an empty stomach. The doctor in some cases may ask the patient to take a liter of non-carbonated water, and it should be drunk about an hour before the examination.
The main thing in preparing a man for an ultrasound is the psychological attitude. Since the manipulation is performed rectally, the study can be hampered by nervous tension and discomfort. Naturally, it is normal to be a little nervous, as the examination is performed rectally, and for many patients this is the most unpleasant moment. However, there is no need to dramatize, because we are talking only about a medical procedure. That is why you need to take a sedative before the process.
TRUS features
Prostate ultrasound requires a condom that fits over the scanner. Such manipulation ispainless, if the mood is right, then there will be no discomfort. The whole procedure lasts approximately twenty minutes.
It is carried out as follows:
- after preparing at home, the patient goes to the office and, after the invitation of an assistant or doctor, releases the lower part of the body from clothes;
- the patient is laid on the right side on the couch, legs bent at the hips and knees;
- the doctor puts a condom on the sensor, applies the gel and inserts rectally 5-7 centimeters deep; it won't hurt because the sensor is small;
- specialist performs examination and gives the patient a conclusion.
What is the normal prostate ultrasound?
Decryption features
The state of the prostate is assessed by a specialist competent in this matter. If there are pathologies, then the decoding is as follows:
- in the presence of benign hyperplasia, the volume of the gland changes, there are extraneous formations;
- in chronic prostatitis, echogenicity increases;
- inflammatory processes reduce echogenicity;
- due to neoplasms, clear contour boundaries are blurred, the size of the lymph nodes increases;
- existing stones and cavities are identified during examination as separate areas with reduced tissue ability to absorb ultrasound waves.
The prostate gland is finally formed by the age of 25. In the absence of pathological abnormalities, the body of the prostatedoes not change in size. If there are diseases, then transformations of structural units, volumes are determined, various neoplasms appear.
Normally, the size of the prostate on ultrasound is as follows:
- 2, 3-4cm width;
- 1.5-2.5cm thickness;
- volume is determined by the product of the indicators of the body, which are multiplied by 1, 06.
Other information is a deviation and needs a detailed analysis of the problem, additional diagnostics, and the appointment of competent treatment.
Ultrasound of the prostate: reviews
Reviews of people about this procedure are contradictory. Especially men do not like rectal examination. It causes not so much pain as moral and physical discomfort. Patients like conventional ultrasound more. This method of diagnosis is very informative, fairly quick and painless.
