Automated prostate volume determination with ultrasonographic imaging

Abstract

A method for automated determination of the prostate volume based on planimetric volumetry was developed to overcome subjectivity in prostate volume measurements using ultrasonography. An edge detection method is applied to locate the prostate boundary in sequential ultrasonographic images. During regular examinations, the volume was assessed automatically in 55 patients. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the automated volume compared to the reference prostate volume was 0.93. The estimated ratio of the automated volume to the reference volume was 0.92. This method overcomes the individual subjectivity when interpreting ultrasonographic images, and provides accurate and objective results for followup of benign prostatic hyperplasia treatments and for comparison of multicenter trials. Also, this method is a useful tool for objective determination of prostate specific antigen in proportion to the volume (prostate specific antigen density).