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Improved Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Pathology Correlation With Imaging-Derived, 3D-Printed, Patient-Specific

Daniel N Costa1, Yonatan Chatzinoff, Niccolo M Passoni

  • 1From the Departments of *Radiology, †Advanced Imaging Research Center, ‡Urology, and §Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.

Abstract

Insights

3D-printed patient-specific molds (PSM) significantly improve anatomical registration between MRI and prostate whole-mounts compared to conventional sectioning. This advance enhances the accuracy of correlating imaging with pathology for better prostate cancer assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Urology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Accurate anatomical registration between preoperative MRI and whole-mount prostate pathology is crucial for cancer assessment.
  • Conventional whole-mount sectioning (WMS) may introduce registration inaccuracies.
  • Patient-specific, MRI-derived molds (PSM) offer a novel approach for precise specimen orientation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the accuracy of anatomical registration between MRI and prostate whole-mounts using PSM versus conventional WMS.
  • To evaluate the impact of PSM on the spatial overlap of prostate, tumor, and zonal regions.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study of 50 men undergoing 3T multiparametric MRI and radical prostatectomy.
  • Two readers outlined prostate structures on MRI and compared with histopathology.
  • Registration accuracy assessed using Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) for PSM (n=25) and WMS (n=25) groups.

Main Results:

  • PSM demonstrated significantly superior anatomical registration for the overall prostate, tumor, peripheral zone, and transition zone compared to WMS (P < 0.0001).
  • Dice Similarity Coefficients for PSM were substantially higher across all evaluated regions for both readers.
  • Example DSC values for PSM (Reader 1) were 0.95 (prostate), 0.86 (tumor), 0.84 (peripheral zone), and 0.89 (transition zone).

Conclusions:

  • Patient-specific molds (PSM) provide significantly better anatomical registration of multiparametric MRI and prostate whole-mounts than conventional WMS.
  • PSM enhance the correlation between in vivo imaging and ex vivo histopathology.
  • This technique holds promise for improving the precision of prostate cancer localization and characterization.

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