Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 14, Issue 2 129-133, Copyright © 1995 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Color Doppler sonographic findings in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and renal pelvis
W. G. Horstman, R. M. McFarland and J. D. Gorman
Department of Radiology, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California 92134-5000, USA.
The purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate the color Doppler
sonographic findings in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the
bladder and renal pelvis, (2) to determine if color Doppler sonography
could predict tumor grade and stage, and (3) to determine whether tumor
vascularity is related to size. A total of 15 patients with 16 bladder
transitional cell carcinomas and one patient with renal pelvic transitional
cell carcinoma were evaluated prospectively with transabdominal color
Doppler ultrasonography. The presence or absence of visible vascularity and
the resistive index were correlated with tumor size, cytologic grade, and
tumor stage. Statistical analysis was performed with Fisher's exact test.
Seven (41%) of 17 tumors had visible vascularity: five (45%) of 11
high-grade transitional cell carcinomas were vascular, whereas two (33%) of
six low-grade transitional cell carcinomas were vascular (P = 1.00). Three
of five (60%) of the invasive lesions were vascular, but the vascularity
was not predictive of tumor stage (P = 0.593). The vascular high-grade
tumors tended to have more numerous and larger visible vessels than the
vascular low-grade lesions. No tumor smaller then 23 mm was vascular, but
the size of the tumor was not predictive of the vascularity (P = 0.1172).
The resistive index was measurable in six tumors, but it was not predictive
of grade or stage. Color Doppler ultrasonography is not helpful clinically
in the evaluation of transitional cell carcinoma as tumor grade, stage, and
size are not related to vascularity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
