Intraluminal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate: case report

Patients who have undergone proctectomy can present a difficult diagnostic challenge for the urologist, as digital rectal examination and transrectal ultrasound scanning are not possible. Various methods have been tried to biopsy the prostate in patients without rectums and have proved to be limited in their usefulness. Intraluminal ultrasound employs a small high-frequency probe that creates an image from an intraluminal perspective. We describe a new role for this imaging method in which intraurethral intraluminal ultrasound scans can be used to guide perineal prostate biopsies in the patient without a rectum.