Abstract #3347

Wiart M, Curiel L, Gelet A, Rouviere O, Chapelon J, Lyonnet D

Our aim was to test the hypothesis that perfusion level influences clinical outcome after transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation of prostate cancer. T1-weighted first-pass MRI was performed in 48 prostate cancer patients. Regional prostatic blood flow (rPBF) was estimated using a new modeling approach that takes contrast agent leakage into account. rPBF values obtained were in good agreement with PET studies. Patients with post-treatment PSA nadir > 0.2 ng/ml (indicative of residual cancer) had a significantly higher rPBF. This in vivo study confirms simulation results showing that perfusion level is one of the factors influencing HIFU treatment outcome.