In prostate cancer diagnostics we use a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, and transperineal biopsy of tissue (fusion biopsy).

At Peritus Clinic we are proud to offer cutting edge imaging diagnostics. All staff, including radiologists, radiology nurses and biomedical analysts  in the radiology department have vast experience in their field.

Peritus Clinic offers a complete suite of radiology and functional imaging diagnostic techniques also provided in the public healthcare system. What makes us unique is our focus on the most modern tomography techniques, such as MRI scan, CT scan, PET scan and fusion biopsy of the prostate using ultrasound.

MRI scan has become increasingly important in diagnosing prostate cancer.

An MRI can be used to show whether the cancer has spread from the prostate to nearby areas. It is also used to guide the biopsy needle. A first class MRI scan ensures precision in prostate diagnostics and treatment.

Peritus Clinic also offers MRI scans to diagnose other diseases.

Preparations and duration of examination

Before your scan you will be asked to answer a number of questions as metallic objects can interfere with the examination.

It could be metals that are magnetic and a few older generation pacemakers.

Before an MRI scan, a dye may be injected into a vein to make the pictures clearer. You will lie on an examination table that slides into the scanner, a large metal cylinder, open at both ends. The scan is painless but can be noisy. The scan takes about 30-60 minutes. Some patients feel claustrophobic in the cylinder. Talk to your doctor or nurse before the scan if you feel anxious in confined spaces. 

In some cases you will be asked to fast before the scan or take an enema. All instructions will be shared with you well in advance.

A computerised tomography (CT) scan combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body. CTscan images provide more-detailed information than plain X-rays do and are the most commonly used imaging modality today.

At the Peritus Clinic CT scans are used for most diagnoses. 

Preparations and exam duration 

In CT scans of the pelvic area you may be asked to refrain from eating or drinking a few hours before the scan. You may need to swallow a fluid containing contrast material or drink water. Contrast agents can be injected through a vein in your arm to help your gallbladder, urinary tract, liver or blood vessels stand out on the images. The CT scan takes about 20-40 minutes.

A blood test in advance may be necessary to determine that the kidney function is normal. If you don’t already have the test results a test is performed at Peritus Clinic. All instructions will be shared with you well in advance.

The scan including preparatory time takes 30-60 minutes.

Peritus Clinic is the only private hospital in Sweden that offers a positron emission tomography (PET) scan.

If conventional imaging or CT scan shows suspicious changes in the body, a PET scan may be useful in detecting cancer or revealing whether your cancer has spread.

PET scanners work by detecting the radiation given off by a substance injected into your arm called a radiotracer as it collects in different parts of your body. Cancer cells show up as bright spots on PET scans because they have a higher metabolic rate than do normal cells. 

The radioactive dose is relatively harmless and has a short half life, which means it quickly leaves the body.

PET provides very sensitive information about whether a growth within the body is cancerous or not. CT, on the other hand, provides detailed information about the location, size, and shape of various lesions but cannot differentiate cancerous lesions from normal structures with the same accuracy as PET. The combined PET/CT scanner merges PET and CT images together. 

Preparations and exam duration 

Before your PET scan you need to prepare. Refrain from eating or drinking a few hours before. After a radioactive drug (tracer) has been injected in the body you need to rest 1-2 hours. During this time bed rest is prescribed to avoid that the tracer is absorbed by unwanted parts of the body.

All instructions will be shared with you well in advance.

The scan including preparatory time takes about 2-3 hours total.

MRI/ultrasound fusion technology allows for using obtained MRI images, and targeting abnormal areas that have been identified on those images by the radiologist. 

While performing the biopsy, the urologist will then have the annotated images of the MRI with the suspicious areas marked on these images available on his monitor. These images will then be fused with the real-time transrectal ultrasound image of the prostate. This will subsequently allow an MRI-targeted sampling of suspicious areas, under ultrasound-guidance.

Preparations and exam duration 

You will get an appointment for a fusion biopsy at your first outpatient visit and all information and what to expect will be addressed at this appointment. The fusion biopsy is most often performed under local anaesthesia. 

An ultrasound scan with fusion biopsy takes about 1-2 hours to complete.