Seminal vesicle masses detected incidentally during transrectal sonographic examination of the prostate.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to review the incidence and type of seminal vesicle (SV) masses discovered during transrectal sonography (TRUS) of the prostate.


METHODS
Patients were a consecutive series of men referred for TRUS of the prostate because of lower urinary tract symptoms or elevated prostate-specific antigen levels, who were found on TRUS to have SV masses. Patients with prostate cancer involving the SVs were excluded. Cystic lesions were sampled by fine-needle aspiration and solid lesions by core biopsy, all under sonographic guidance.


RESULTS
Of the 450 patients who underwent TRUS between January 1997 and December 2001, 10 (2%) were found to have SV masses; 5 masses were cystic and 5 were solid. Cytologic evaluation of aspirated specimens revealed benign findings in all 5 cysts. Four of the 5 patients with solid SV masses had chronic schistosomiasis, and the mass in the fifth patient was a metastatic deposit from a renal cell carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
SV masses may be responsible for lower urinary tract symptoms in a small fraction of cases. A cystic mass is presumptively benign, whereas a solid lesion has a small probability of being malignant, especially if the patient has a primary neoplasm elsewhere. Schistosomiasis should always be considered when making a differential diagnosis in patients who live in areas where infestation is endemic.
Al-Saeed
Osama
O
Department of Radiology, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait.
Sheikh
Mehraj
M
Kehinde
E O
EO
Makar
R
R
D000328:Adult; D003560:Cysts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005832:Genital Diseases, Male / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011467:Prostate / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012553:Schistosomiasis haematobia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography