Radiology, Vol 159, 95-100, Copyright © 1986 by Radiological Society of North America
The echogenic focus in prostatic sonograms, with xeroradiographic and histopathologic correlation
WF Dahnert, UM Hamper, PC Walsh, JC Eggleston and RC Sanders
The sonograms of 42 patients scanned before and after radical prostatectomy
were reviewed, giving specific attention to echogenic foci. All patients
had clinical stage A or B adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Comparison of the
scans with xeroradiographic and histopathologic studies showed all
echogenic foci, with or without acoustic shadowing, to represent prostatic
calcifications. Calcifications were located in the central portion of the
gland exclusively, either immediately adjacent to the urethra or at the
margins of the "internal gland", separate from the peripheral location of
small tumors. With carcinomatous spread toward the urethra, calculi were
found surrounded by tumor. This was considered a result of secondary
involvement rather than dystrophic tumor calcification. Prostatic
calcifications seem unrelated to the development of adenocarcinoma but must
be recognized to prevent erroneous interpretation.
