3 Telsa MRI

Does anyone know how much information one can get from a 3 T MRI?

I had one a few months ago. During my visit to my Oncologist I asked him what was the results of the MRI and he said everything looked good. It was like pulling teeth trying to get more information. He said a 3 T MRI tells us if the PCa has spread. I was hoping it would tell me where the tumor was and the size. I will be picking up the report this week to see what it said. What should I expect? Can it identify tumor size and location? How do they identify where the tumor is and size when treating with Cryotherapy?

A 3T MRI will only show large tumors of several cm3. If you want more detail you will have to add an endorectal coil and get multiparametric MRIs (e.g., DCE, DW, Spect). You also need a very experienced radiologist who is capable of and practiced at reading these. Still, detection limits don't typically go under about 8 mm in length.

Dr. Bahn uses color doppler ultrasound for detection, and seems to be able to detect lesions half as small. He uses it for focal cryo on appropriate patients. A friend of mine is on AS with him.

- Allen

MY understanding is that the 1.5 MR is the workhorse and that the 3T is most often found only in major medical centers.   As stated above the endorectal coil is used during MR for these exams.   At the end of the day if extension is obvious then one knows. However regardless of the imaging technique, MR, CT, Ultrasound, or PET, absence of extension is not diagnostic. Cellular level metastasis isn’t even detectable during direct visual observation and requires pathological examination.   Having said all of that... I obtained my own Prostate MR  prior to surgery (out of pocket).   I completely understand that this isn't standard of care but I wanted them.   Didn’t really learn much but I’d do the same tomorrow before having any major surgery.  In my case insurance would not and shouldn’t have paid for these exams as medical science does not support the need.   One could even appropriately argue that the radiation from unwarranted CT could be dangerous.    On a side note I have been told that the 3T MR is so powerful that you can actually feel the tissue heating up to a point that it is uncomfortable, not particularly dangerous but noticeable   Hero