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What is Transrectal Sonography (TRUS)?
Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) is a method of using sound waves to create an image of the prostate. In traditional ultrasound procedures, a probe placed on the skin painlessly sends ultra-high-frequency sound waves into the body. When the waves hit internal organs, they create echo patterns that a computer converts into images (sonograms) on a video screen. Ultrasound examinations are much more sophisticated than they used to be. With TRUS, for example, the doctor places a probe, called an ultrasound transducer, into the rectum. Painless sound waves scan the prostate in two levels. The resulting images (see Figure 1 below) are often used as a guide for a biopsy of the prostate and...
What is Transrectal Sonography (TRUS)?
Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) is a method of using sound waves to create an image of the prostate. In traditional ultrasound procedures, a probe placed on the skin painlessly sends ultra-high-frequency sound waves into the body. When the waves hit internal organs, they create echo patterns that a computer converts into images (sonograms) on a video screen.
Ultrasound examinations are much more sophisticated than they used to be. With TRUS, for example, the doctor places a probe, called an ultrasound transducer, into the rectum. Painless sound waves scan the prostate in two levels. The resulting images (see Figure 1 below) often serve as a guide for a biopsy of the prostate and help locate suspicious areas.
Doctors may recommend TRUS if they suspect prostate cancer based on an abnormal DRE or elevated PSA level. However, TRUS is expensive and rarely detects prostate cancer that a DRE or PSA cannot find. As a result, although TRUS is often used to guide a biopsy, it is not recommended for routine examinations.
Figure 1: Transrectal ultrasound
In this procedure, the patient lies on their side and a small probe (the ultrasound transducer) is placed in the rectum. Sound waves are beamed at the prostate and the reflected waves are converted by a computer into images on a video screen. In the sonography above, the irregular dark area within the prostate is cancer. |
Originally published March 2009; last checked on March 22, 2011.
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