title: Percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) of prostate cancer: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) findings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) after irreversible electroporation (IRE) of prostatic cancer tissue to assess the ablation status by depicting microvascularisation in the ablation area.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective evaluation of CEUS of 13 patients (mean age: 61.4 ± 7.5 years) with histologically confirmed prostatic cancer who underwent percutaneous IRE. In the course of clinical routine, the tumor lesions were documented before, immediately after, and 1 day after the ablationusing color-coded transabdominal and transrectal CEUS. The obtained image data (DICOM loops and images) were subsequently evaluated by 2 experienced radiologists and assessed with regard to micro vascularisation by means of a 5-point scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CEUS images showed significantly reduced microcirculation of the lesions (mean 0.9 ± 0.6 cm (0.5-1.5 cm) after IRE. Microcirculation was reduced from 2.15 ± 0.56 prior to ablation to 0.65 ± 0.63 (p <  0.001) immediately after the ablation and to 0.27 ± 0.44 one day after IRE (p <  0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed rapid and significant reduction of the microcirculation in the ablation area afterpercutaneous IRE of prostatic cancer tissue.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Niessen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pregler
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dollinger
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haimerl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Westküstenklinikum Heide, Heide, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scheer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stroszczynski
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wiggermann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D003287:Contrast Media; D053672:Electrochemotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: Irreversible electroporation; contrast-enhanced ultrasound; percutaneous ablation; prostate cancer