Chesapeake Urology Improves Prostate Cancer Detection and Diagnosis With Breakthrough 3D Ultrasound/MRI Fusion Biopsy

News provided by

Oct 14, 2014, 12:00 ET

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Oct. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Chesapeake Urology Associates ("Chesapeake"), continually on the forefront of clinical and technological innovation, offers a state-of-the-art prostate cancer diagnostic, which "fuses" detailed MRI scans with live, real-time ultrasound images of the prostate. This groundbreaking biopsy system provides Chesapeake urologists with the capability to pinpoint tumors within the prostate gland, leading to more targeted treatment planning and better outcomes.

According to Thomas B. Smyth, M.D., Chesapeake's Director of Integrated Care and the head of its 3D Ultrasound/MRI Fusion Biopsy program, "Computer-assisted 3D Ultrasound/MRI Fusion Biopsy provides Chesapeake physicians with a higher degree of precision in the detection and biopsy of suspicious prostate lesions than existing 2D transrectal ultrasound(TRUS) guided biopsies, which are the current standard of care." Smyth went on to say that, "this technology provides a greatly enhanced diagnostic capability which leads to improved outcomes for our patients."

How the 3D Ultrasound/MRI Fusion Biopsy Works

By combining advanced MRI imaging with 3D ultrasound technology, this new biopsy system:

Creates a 3D map of the prostate
Identifies suspicious lesions or targets on MRI
Fuses or overlaps the 3D MRI image onto the real-time 3D ultrasound image of the prostate
Provides clear visualization of the biopsy needle and the targeted lesion for accurate guidance
Stores the exact location of each biopsy sample for future reference

Unlike the standard 2D TRUS-guided prostate biopsy, which takes random tissue samples from the prostate and has a higher rate of missing cancerous cells within the gland, the 3D Ultrasound/MRI Fusion Biopsy combines the clarity of an MRI image with a 3D ultrasound image. This creates an enhanced 3D map of the prostate for dramatically improved visualization of the gland, allowing determination of the exact location of potential tumors.

Chesapeake first acquired 3D MRI/ultrasound fusion biopsy capability in October 2012 and has since performed over 500 prostate biopsies utilizing this technology. Only a handful of urologists in the region have been trained on this technology including Dr. Smyth, Dr. Daniel D. Dietrick, Dr. Richard M. Levin, and Dr. Benjamin H. Lowentritt, all urologists with Chesapeake. For many patients, this has resulted in a significant improvement in detection of clinically significant prostate cancer.

To learn more about this breakthrough diagnostic tool for detecting prostate cancer and how it works to benefit patients, visit Chesapeake Urology's prostate cancer website at prostatecancer.chesapeakeurology.com.

About Chesapeake Urology

Chesapeake Urology is a fully-integrated urology practice providing a comprehensive array of urologic services to its patients. The Company operates 21 medical offices and 14 AAAHC-certified ambulatory surgery centers in Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Carroll, Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles and Anne Arundel counties and in Baltimore City, and has a staff of 500 including 63 physicians. Chesapeake Urology has been named one of the top 100 places to work in healthcare nationally by Modern Healthcare magazine and locally by Baltimore magazine. For information about Chesapeake Urology, please visit ChesapeakeUrology.com.