Benign prostatic hyperplasia: tissue characterization using suprapubic ultrasound.

Fifty-one patients with pathologically proved benign prostatic hyperplasia were examined with transabdominal ultrasound. The echo-textural patterns of the prostate were analyzed in detail. This analysis suggested various criteria that would be helpful in the diagnosis of this neoplasm. The most frequently encountered sonographic findings were the adenoma echo pattern (47 cases), shadowing echo-dense foci at any location, foci with an echo density brighter than that of the capsule, focal densities less than 6 mm thick, and location of a focus within the adenoma, junctional zone, or periurethral zone. Other suggestive signs included intact capsule (46 cases), uninvolved bladder (all but one case), and normal seminal vesicles (all cases). Based on these criteria, a definite diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia was made in 43 cases with a diagnostic accuracy of 84%.