Prostatic arterial supply: demonstration by multirow detector angio CT and catheter angiography.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prostatic arterial supply with multidetector Angio CT and Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA).


METHODS
DSA was performed in 21 male patients (7 of these also underwent Pelvic Angio CT); a further 4 patients only underwent Angio CT. Prostatic arteries were classified according to their origin, direction, number of pedicles, termination and anastomoses with surrounding arteries in 50 pelvic sides.


RESULTS
The most frequent origin was the internal pudendal artery (n = 28; 56%) with the common gluteal-pudendal trunk the next commonest (n = 14; 28%). Less frequent origins were the obturator artery (n = 6; 12%) or the inferior gluteal artery (n = 2; 4%). Two separate vascular pedicles were found in 12 pelvic sides (24%). There were anastomoses with the termination of the internal pudendal artery in 24% of cases (n = 12), with the contra-lateral prostatic arteries in 6 cases (12%), and to the superior vesical artery in 4 cases (8%).


CONCLUSIONS
Defining prostatic artery origin and direction is paramount to allow selective catheterisation. Angio CT is very useful as a pre-intervention tool. The number of independent vascular pedicles and the presence of anastomoses with surrounding arteries should be taken into account when planning prostatic arterial embolisation.
Departamento Universitário de Anatomia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal. tiagobilhim@hotmail.com
Tiago
T
Bilhim
João M
JM
Pisco
Andrea
A
Furtado
Diogo
D
Casal
Diogo
D
Pais
Luís Campos
LC
Pinheiro
João E G
JE
O'Neill
D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D057785:Catheters; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011467:Prostate / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*