Purpose: To assess the influence of embolic size on the therapy response of prostatic arterial embolization (PAE) based on perfusional changes seen on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Materials and methods: Twelve beagles underwent PAE, four dogs with each particle size: A: 100-300 μm; B: 300-500 μm; and C: 500-700 μm. Prior to and 1 month after the embolization all dogs underwent prostate DCE MRI.
Results: After embolization, time to maximal perfusion intensity for prostate parenchyma increased in B (188 vs. 135 sec, P = 0.023) and C (200 vs. 120 sec, P = 0.001), while it did not change for A (139 vs. 124 sec, P = 0.39). The maximal relative intensity increased after embolization in C (3.84 vs. 2.38, P < 0.001), while it did not change for A (2.50 vs. 2.44, P = 0.36) and B (3.23 vs. 2.9, P = 0.21). The extent of visualized intraprostatic urethral wall increased after embolization in B compared with A and C, 239.5 ± 138.1% vs. 56.1 ± 34.3, P = 0.04. Enhancement changes correlated with prostate volume changes: prostate volumes in A decreased less as compared with B and C (77 ± 34% vs. 56 ± 14%), P = 0.02.
Conclusion: The enhancement and morphological data are useful to monitor response to therapy after embolization. Embolization with 300-500 and 500-700 μm particle may provide better results than with 100-300 μm particles in a canine model.
Keywords: benign prostatic hyperplasia; canine prostate; dynamic contrast enhanced MRI; prostatic artery embolization.
Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.