What is a prostate ultrasound?

前列腺超声波（有时称为前列腺超声检查）是一项测试，它通过从身体的组织中弹起声波来产生前列腺的黑白图像。该测试用于检查您的前列腺是否存在任何异常，癌症, or other prostate-related conditions.

This test is safe and can be done in less than an hour. It helps your doctor identify possible prostate conditions before they become more serious or unmanageable.

Read on to learn more about when you’ll need a prostate ultrasound, how the test works, and what your next steps may be after the test.

前列腺超声用于使用超声图像检查前列腺。该过程为您的医生提供了前列腺和周围组织的黑白图像。您的医生通常不会作为体格检查的一部分这样做，但是如果以下情况，他们可能会建议这样做：

Your doctor may also do a prostate ultrasound if they find any abnormalities during arectal examination.

Somesymptomsthat might prompt your doctor to recommend a prostate ultrasound include:

A prostate ultrasound can also be used to help your doctor take a tissue sample, or biopsy, from your prostate.

You don’t need to do much to prepare for a prostate ultrasound. It’s an outpatient procedure that usually takes less than an hour. Your doctor may refer you to a hospital or clinic that has the proper ultrasound equipment for this test. You may also need to sign a consent form before the test.

您的医生可能会在测试之前向您提供一些可能的说明：

  • 测试前不要吃几个小时。
  • Take a laxative or enema to help clear out your intestines a few hours before the test.
  • Stop taking any medications that can thin your blood, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or aspirin, about a week before the procedure. This is usually recommended if your doctor plans to take a biopsy of your prostate.
  • 在手术当天，不要在诊所穿任何珠宝或紧身衣服。
  • 服用任何建议在手术过程中帮助您放松的药物。您的医生可能会推荐镇静剂，例如劳拉西m（Ativan）。
  • Make sure someone’s available to take you home in case your doctor gives you a sedative.

When you get to the facility for the test, an ultrasound technician may ask you to take off your clothes and change into a gown. Then, the technician will ask you to lie down on your back or side on an examination table and bend your knees.

To perform a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), the technician covers a small imaging tool called a transducer with ultrasound gel to help the tool broadcast good images. Then, the technician slowly inserts the transducer into your rectum and moves it around gently to get images of your prostate from various angles. For a biopsy, the technician will slowly insert a needle alongside the transducer into your prostate to remove the tissue.

Your rectum might feel like it’s swelling while the transducer’s inside, and the gel can feel damp and cold. Let the technician know if you’re uncomfortable during the procedure. Your technician may use local anesthesia or a sedative to help you feel you more comfortable.

测试完成后，您可以脱下礼服并重新穿上衣服。您的直肠可能会感到几天，但是您无需遵循任何特定的顾问说明。您的医生可能会开出一种抗生素以防止感染。

In some cases, your doctor or technician may ask you to wait in the facility until your results are available. You’ll usually need to wait a few days for a radiologist to look at the images and diagnose any conditions, however. Depending on where the test was done, you may wait up to two weeks for results.

您的医生将安排后续约会，讨论您的测试结果。如果您的图像上有任何异常或条件，您的医生将指出这些区域。过量的组织，前列腺肿大或癌性肿瘤将出现在超声图像上，作为代表密集组织的亮白色区域。

前列腺超声比X射线更准确。这是因为当传感器通过直肠移动时，您的技术人员可以看到图像，而不必拍摄快照并开发图像。超声测试也比X射线更安全，因为它们不会产生任何危险的辐射。

前列腺超声检查也比计算机断层扫描（CT）测试更快，该测试提供了前列腺及其周围区域的3-D图像。CT扫描需要更多的准备时间和时间进行测试，并且不提供实时图像。

如果您的超声检查或活检显示前列腺内或周围的任何异常，您的医生可能会建议您进行后续测试。如果您的医生发现任何情况，他们将讨论适当的治疗计划，并将您推荐给泌尿科医生或其他可以治疗您的专家。

如果您的医生认为您有良性前列腺增生（BPH）, also called an enlarged prostate, they may recommend medications or surgery to help manage or treat the enlargement. BPH is not usually a serious condition, but it can cause a lot of discomfort and make urinating difficult.

If your doctor believes that you may have cancer, they’ll recommend a前列腺特异性抗原（PSA）测试to see how much of a particular protein you have in your blood. High levels of PSA may mean that you have prostate cancer. If you have prostate cancer, your doctor will discuss treatment plans to help manage and treat your cancer.