Background: Extrarenal manifestations are common in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Although seminal vesicles can also be involved in patients with ADPKD, little is known about the size differences of the seminal vesicles between ADPKD patients and normal subjects.
Purpose: To determine whether the size of seminal vesicles in ADPKD patients is larger than that in normal subjects with the use of three-dimensional (3D) CT.
Material and methods: Using a retrospective case-control study design, we reviewed the findings of 696 male patients with an age range of 20-69 years who underwent contrast enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging of the kidney in our institution from August 2007 to July 2008. A total of 68 male patients with ADPKD comprised the study group. Another 68 age-matched non-ADPKD male patients comprised the control group. The size of bilateral seminal vesicles was assessed by measurement of the short dimension on axial, coronal, and sagittal images by the use of a picture archiving and communication system (PACS).
Results: The mean width of seminal vesicles in ADPKD patients was 1.70+/-0.40 cm (axial images), 1.86+/-0.45 cm (coronal), and 1.59+/-0.39 cm (sagittal). For control group subjects, the mean width was 1.53+/-0.29 cm (axial), 1.68+/-0.43 cm (coronal), and 1.48+/-0.31 cm (sagittal). The mean size differences between the ADPKD and control groups for the measured widths on axial and coronal images were statistically significant (P=0.01 and P=0.02, respectively). The width as measured on axial images showed a decrease with age in the control group subjects (linear trend, P=0.005), but no significant decrease was noted in ADPKD patients.
Conclusion: The seminal vesicles were demonstrated to be larger in ADPKD patients as compared with normal subjects as determined with the use of 3D CT.