Magnetic resonance imaging: its application to male infertility

The value of transrectal ultrasonography in the diagnosis and treatment of partial obstruction of the seminal duct system

We report a case of male subfertility with ejaculate volume less than 1 cc and moderate oligoasthenozoospermia. Partial obstruction of the seminal duct system was suspected and transrectal ultrasonography revealed a müllerian duct cyst. We confirmed the diagnosis with transperineal puncture and contrast filling of the cyst and seminal vesicles. This procedure allowed us to avoid scrotal vasostomy and perform conventional vasography as well as to measure the distance between the ceiling of the cyst and the urethra, which facilitated subsequent transurethral surgery.

Magnetic resonance images of hematospermia

Seminal vesicles and their adjacent structures were studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 7 normal volunteers and 15 patients with hematospermia. Normal seminal vesicles are depicted on T2-weighted images either as a mixture of high- and low-signal granules or as a convolution of tubules with a diameter of less than 0.5 cm. Fourteen of the 15 patients with hematospermia exhibited abnormalities on MRI. Dilatation or cyst formation in the seminal vesicle was observed in 13 patients, and a dilatation of the midline structure was seen in 3 patients. Abnormal signal intensity of the seminal vesicles was seen in 11 patients and was thought to be due to subacute hemorrhage.

The diagnostic significance of magnetic resonance imaging in prostatic tumours

Looking for better diagnostic methods of prostatic tumours the pelves of 38 males (22 of them suffering from prostatic carcinoma) were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This new technique helps to distinguish between healthy and pathological prostatic tissue. It is a non-invasive method, which seems to gain improved significance in the preoperative delineation of prostatic cancer; it is a valuable tool for an accurate preoperative T-staging.