The added value of a new high-performance ring-gantry CBCT imaging system for prostate cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A novel Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) named HyperSight provides superior CBCT image quality compared to conventional ring gantry CBCT imaging, and it is suitable for dose calculations for prostate cancer, but it comes with considerable additional costs. The aim of this study was to determine the added value of HyperSight CBCT imaging compared to conventional CBCT imaging in terms of organ visibility in the male pelvic region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty prostate cancer patients were included in this prospective clinical study. For each patient three CBCT pairs, consisting of HyperSight and conventional CBCT scans acquired on consecutive days, were included. CBCT scans were evaluated by four observers in terms of visibility of the prostate, bladder, rectum and seminal vesicles. Visibility was scored on a 1-to-5 scale and by annotating axial slices where the organs were hard to delineate. Lastly, observers indicated whether the CBCT scans were of sufficient quality for an online adaptive radiation therapy workflow. RESULTS: All four organs were better visible on HyperSight CBCT scans compared to conventional CBCT scans. The mean visibility scores increased from 3.1 to 4.5 on a 1--5 scale of and the mean number of annotated slices reduced from 4.5 to 1.1. 99% Of the HyperSight CBCT scans were considered suitable for an online adaptive workflow vs 25-83% for the conventional CBCT scans. CONCLUSION: HyperSight CBCT scans yielded a visibility of prostate, bladder, rectum and seminal vesicles comparable to planning CT scans and, can replace a repeat planning CT scan in case of anatomical changes requiring a new treatment plan.

Zinner syndrome: a radiological journey through a little known condition.

Zinner syndrome is a rare congenital urological entity, secondary to an alteration in embryogenesis between 4th and 13th weeks of gestation, specifically because of abnormalities in the development of the distal mesonephric duct. It is characterized by the triad of unilateral renal agenesis, cystic dilatation of the ipsilateral seminal vesicle and ipsilateral ejaculatory duct obstruction. The aim of this article is to provide the reader with all the necessary information to be able to suspect the presence of this syndrome, reviewing its physiopathology, clinical manifestations and the imaging techniques that enable its diagnosis, emphasizing those radiological findings by MRI that should lead us to think about it. This work is illustrated with representative radiological images of cases belonging to our institution, including patients with different variants of Zinner syndrome. We also include an overview of the embryology of the male urogenital system, to remember the role of the mesonephric duct and the ureteral bud in the formation of the different urogenital structures, as well as a differential diagnosis that allows us to differentiate seminal vesicle cysts from other pelvic cystic lesions.

Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with Zinner syndrome: a coincidence or a consequence?

This case report describes a man in his 20s presenting with bilateral crypto-orchidism, micropenis and underdeveloped secondary sexual characteristics. The patient also exhibited hyposmia, eunuchoid stature and gynecomastia. Biochemical investigations revealed low levels of testosterone, luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. Hence, he was diagnosed with Kallmann syndrome. Imaging studies showed an absent right kidney and cystic dilatation of the distal ureteric bud, seminal vesicle and absent/hypoplastic ejaculatory duct. The association of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with Zinner syndrome, a rare condition characterised by renal agenesis, seminal vesicle cyst and ejaculatory duct obstruction, was noted.

Zinner syndrome in pediatric age group: An underdiagnosed entity.

INTRODUCTION: Zinner Syndrome (ZS), a rare congenital malformation of the mesonephric duct, combines seminal vesicle cyst (SVC) with ipsilateral upper urinary tract abnormalities. Typically asymptomatic in childhood, ZS manifests between 2nd to 4th decades with bladder symptoms, perineal pain and infertility. Diagnostic confirmation with additional imaging is needed when either renal or seminal abnormalities are identified. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study spanning 22 years identified 20 pediatric ZS cases through clinical analytics. Demographic, clinical, and radiological data were analyzed, including presenting complaints, imaging modalities (ultrasound, CT, MRI), and surgical findings. The study was HIPAA-compliant and IRB-approved. RESULTS: Among 20 cases (mean age: 7.3 years), clinical presentations included asymptomatic cases, urinary symptoms, and abdominal pain. Imaging revealed renal anomalies (agenesis, multicystic dysplastic kidney) and seminal vesicle abnormalities. Surgical interventions (n = 12) addressed symptomatic cases, often involving robotic or laparoscopic procedures. DISCUSSION: ZS, though rare, presents with varied clinical features, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach. Early diagnosis is facilitated by prenatal identification of renal abnormalities. Surgical intervention is reserved for symptomatic cases, with techniques such as vesiculectomy and resection of remnant structures employed. CONCLUSION: This study highlights ZS's diverse clinical and radiological spectrum, emphasizing the need for vigilance in detecting overlapping entities. Timely identification, utilizing advanced imaging techniques, is crucial for accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of Zinner Syndrome in the pediatric population.

Seminal vesicles in focus: An illustrated overview.

Seminal vesicles play a crucial role in the male reproductive system, as they are responsible for secreting a fluid that forms most of the ejaculate. Seminal vesicles' pathology can present with non-specific symptoms, making imaging diagnosis essential for proper patient management. Various imaging modalities can be used to evaluate these glands, with MRI beneficial in illustrating the spectrum of seminal vesicle disease. Typical seminal vesicles appear as elongated fluid-containing structures, but congenital anomalies, inflammatory conditions, and neoplastic disorders can alter their appearance. Furthermore, differentiating mimics from actual pathology can be challenging but crucial for proper management. This article aims to provide an overview of the typical imaging appearance of the seminal vesicles and illustrate the principal imaging characteristics of conditions involving these structures. It will review the imaging characteristics of common and uncommon lesions involving the seminal vesicles by exploring congenital, infectious, and neoplastic in detail. As the seminal vesicles are often evaluated incidentally during prostate imaging, radiologists should be aware of the variability of normal findings and recognize the principal pathologies affecting these structures to ensure proper patient management.

MRI assessment of seminal vesicle involvement by prostate cancer using T2 signal intensity and volume.

BACKGROUND: Seminal vesicle involvement (SVI) in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer is associated with high rates of treatment failure and tumor recurrence; correct identification of SVI allows for effective management decisions and surgical planning. METHODS: This single-center retrospective study analyzed MR images of the seminal vesicles from patients undergoing radical prostatectomy with confirmed T3b disease, comparing them to a control group without SVI matched for age and Gleason grade with a final stage of T2 or T3a. Seminal vesicles were segmented by an experienced uroradiologist, "raw" and bladder-normalized T2 signal intensity, as well as SV volume, were obtained. RESULTS: Among the 82 patients with SVI, 34 (41.6%) had unilateral invasion, and 48 (58.4%) had bilateral disease. There was no statistically significant difference in the degree of distension between normal and involved seminal vesicles (P = 0.08). Similarly, no statistically significant difference was identified in the raw SV T2 signal intensity (P = 0.09) between the groups. In the 159 patients analyzed, SVI was prospectively suspected in 10 of 82 patients (specificity, 100%; sensitivity, 12.2%). In all these cases, lesions macroscopically invaded the seminal vesicle, and the raw T2 signal intensity was significantly lower than that in the SVI and control groups (P = 0.02 and 0.01). CONCLUSION: While signal intensity measurements in T2-weighted images may provide insight into T3b disease, our findings suggest that this data alone is insufficient to reliably predict SVI, indicating the need for further investigation and complementary diagnostic approaches.

An Unexpected Seminal Vesicle Pitfall in PSMA PET.

ABSTRACT: A 76-year-old man undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer was referred for 68 Ga-PSMA-11-PET (PSMA PET) due to persistently detectable PSA level. No PSMA-positive tumor lesions were detected, so a delayed phase imaging was performed, which revealed focal PSMA uptake in the right seminal vesicle together with contrast accumulation on excretory phase contrast-enhanced CT. These findings were finally determined to be secondary to urinary reflux as a consequence of a prostatic enucleation he had undergone 5 months earlier following an episode of acute urinary retention.

Intense PSMA Uptake in Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Seminal Vesicle.

ABSTRACT: Solitary fibrous tumor arising from the seminal vesicle is very rare. We describe 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT findings in a case of prostate adenocarcinoma with a solitary fibrous tumor of the left seminal vesicle. The solitary fibrous tumor showed intense 18 F-PSMA-1007 uptake mimicking metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma. This case indicates that solitary fibrous tumor may cause false-positive result when using PSMA PET in staging of prostate cancer.

The Role of Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in the Prediction of Adverse Prostate Cancer Pathology in Radical Prostatectomy Specimen.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer (PCa) risk stratification is essential in guiding therapeutic decision. Multiparametric magnetic resonance tomography (mpMRI) holds promise in the prediction of adverse pathologies (AP) after prostatectomy (RP). This study aims to identify clinical and imaging markers in the prediction of adverse pathology. METHODS: Patients with PCa, diagnosed by targeted biopsy after mpMRI and undergoing RP, were included. The predictive accuracy of mpMRI for extraprostatic extension (ECE), seminal vesicle infiltration (SVI), and lymph node positivity was calculated from the final histopathology. RESULTS: 846 patients were involved. Independent risk parameters include imaging findings such as ECE (OR 3.12), SVI (OR 2.55), and PI-RADS scoring (4: OR 2.01 and 5: OR 4.34). mpMRI parameters such as ECE, SVI, and lymph node metastases showed a high prognostic accuracy (73.28% vs. 95.35% vs. 93.38%) with moderate sensitivity compared to the final histopathology. The ROC analysis of our combined scoring system (D'Amico classification, PSA density, and MRI risk factors) improves the prediction of adverse pathology (AUC: 0.73 vs. 0.69). CONCLUSION: Our study supports the use of mpMRI for comprehensive pretreatment risk assessment in PCa. Due to the high accuracy of factors like ECE, SVI, and PI-RADS scoring, utilizing mpMRI data enabled accurate prediction of unfavorable pathology after RP.

Zinner's Syndrome: Case report of a Developmental Anomaly of the Mesonephric Duct.

Zinner's syndrome is a rare congenital malformation characterized by the association of unilateral renal agenesis with ipsilateral seminal vesicle cyst and ejaculatory duct obstruction. Most patients are asymptomatic until the third or fourth decade of life when the syndrome is associated with dysuria, perineal pain, infertility, and painful ejaculation. In this report, we present the common imaging findings of this rare developmental anomaly involving the mesonephric duct in a 48-year-old male patient experiencing pelvic pain, recurrent dysuria, and pollakiuria.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the seminal vesicle.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are mesenchymal neoplasms with variable clinical behavior depending on age, tumor site, and size, and pathologic factors such as mitoses and necrosis. Imaging features on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not specific, and the diagnosis relies on histopathology with immunohistochemistry. SFTs arising from seminal vesicles is rare and reported in only eight earlier cases. We discuss the clinical, histopathologic and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging characteristics of a 54-year-old patient with SFT of the seminal vesicle. The patient was treated with robot-assisted seminal vesiculotomy and is doing well on follow-up at two years.

Imaging of seminal vesicles: a pictorial review.

The seminal vesicles are frequently overlooked when reviewing abdominal and pelvic imaging studies, and normal variants and pathologic conditions are often missed or misinterpreted. This is largely due to lack of familiarity with the organ, its anatomic variants, congenital abnormalities and disease conditions. This pictorial review aims to familiarize the reader with the range of normal appearances, congenital anomalies and disease entities that involve the seminal vesicles to avoid overtreatment and misdiagnoses.

[Visualisation of the ejaculatory tract in a patient with empyema of the seminal vesicles]. / Een patiënt met empyeem van de zaadblazen.

BACKGROUND: Fever and malaise without the possibility of an adequate anamnesis has a broad differential diagnosis. Under these conditions in male patients several rare urogenital disorders need to be considered. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 26-year-old mentally disabled young man was examined because of a fever, altered behaviour and elevated infection parameters. A CT-scan of the abdomen showed signs of prostatitis. Transrectal ultrasonography was performed under general anaesthesia to rule out a prostatic abscess. This showed prominent, dilated seminal vesicles. Under transurethral sight, large amounts of pus was drained from the ejaculatory ducts by digital rectal examination (unique video). Intravenous antibiotic therapy was continued and the patient successfully recovered. CONCLUSION: Acute bacterial prostatitis is diagnosed based on the clinical presentation of the patient. When there is fever without a focus or no recovery following antibiotic therapy, an abscess of the prostate or empyema of the seminal vesicles should be considered.

Staging accuracy of MRI of the prostate with special reference to the influence of the time of last ejaculation on the detection of seminal vesicle invasion.

AIM: To evaluate the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System, version 2.1 (PIRADS V2.1) criteria for seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) and examine whether the timing of last ejaculation influences the detection of SVI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 68 patients (34 with SVI, 34 without SVI, matching groups by age and prostate volume) who underwent PIRADS V2.1-compliant multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; 34 at 1.5 T, 34 at 3 T). Before the examination, the time of last ejaculation (38/68 ≤ 5 days, 30/68 > 5 days) was collected via a questionnaire. The five PIRADS V2.1 criteria for SVI with subsequent overall assessment were evaluated retrospectively by two independent examiners (examiner 1 with >10 years of experience, examiner 2 with 6 months of experience) in a single-blinded fashion for all patients using a questionnaire and a six-point scale (0 = no, 1 = very likely not, 2 = probably not, 3 = possible, 4 = probable, 5 = certain). RESULTS: E1 achieved high specificity (100%) and positive predictive value (PPV; 100%) in the overall assessment, independent of the time of last ejaculation (sensitivity = 76.5%, negative predictive value [NPV] = 81%). The area under the curve (AUC) value was 0.882; for E2, it was 0.765. At ≤5 days, the AUC values of E1 and E2 differed significantly (0.867 versus 0.681, p=0.016), as did the diffusion restriction criterion (0.833 versus 0.681, p=0.028). E1 showed high AUC values independent of time. E2 had better values for all criteria at >5 days than at ≤5 days. There were no significant differences between the examiners in all observations at >5 days. CONCLUSION: The PIRADS V2.1 criteria are well suited for an experienced examiner to detect SVI independent of time point. An inexperienced examiner will benefit from patients being abstinent >5 days prior to MRI.

Single Seminal Vesicle Metastasis From Dorsal Melanoma Detected by 18 F-FDG PET/CT and Confirmed by Biopsy.

ABSTRACT: This case shows an unusual presentation of a melanoma metastasis, visualized by 18 F-FDG digital PET/CT, with a single abnormal focal uptake in the right seminal vesicle. Histologic analysis confirmed a melanoma metastasis, subsequently treated by stereotactic radiation therapy. We illustrate an unusual and single-site millimetric melanoma metastasis detected by 18 F-FDG PET/CT, highlighting the high performance of state-of-the-art digital PET/CT and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in treatment and follow-up of melanoma patients. In this case, histological diagnosis was essential for correct diagnosis and adequate clinical management of the patient.

A nomogram to predict pathologic T2 stage in candidates to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with iT3 prostate cancer on preoperative multiparametric MRI: results from a multi-institutional collaboration.

In candidates to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for locally advanced (iT3) prostate cancer on preoperative MRI, the performance of MRI for local staging is demonstrably suboptimal, and currently no prediction tools that might help surgeons in preoperative planning are available. We analyzed data of 685 patients with iT3 prostate cancer (PCa) who received RARP at five participating institutions between 2012 and 2020. Multivariable logistic regression model investigated predictors of pT2 disease among variables available before surgery (i.e.: preoperative PSA, biopsy ISUP group, clinical T stage on digital rectal examination-DRE, prostate volume on MRI, PIRADS score of index lesion, seminal vesicles invasion on MRI, location suspicious for T3 disease on MRI). Coefficients from such model were used to build a nomogram to predict organ-confined (i.e. pT2) disease on final pathology. Internal validation was performed using the leave-one-out cross-validation. Median (interquartile range) preoperative PSA was 7.5 (5.2, 11.9) ng/mL, and 280 (41%) and 216 (32%) had biopsy ISUP group 4-5 disease and palpable disease on DRE, respectively. Preoperative MRI was suspicious for iT3 disease on the mid-posterior part of the gland in 485 (71%) men, and 527 (77%) men had a PIRADS 5 lesion. After surgery, a total of 192 (28%) patients had organ-confined disease (i.e. pT2). All variables fitted into the model and were considered to build the nomogram. After internal validation, the AUC was 73% (95% confidence interval: 69%, 77%). Awaiting external validation, we provided data that is relevant to optimize surgical strategy in men diagnosed with iT3 PCa who are scheduled for RARP.