Recent advances in three-dimensional ultrasound virtual cystoscopy in modeling and local staging for urothelial carcinoma with histopathological correlation: a cohort prospective study

BACKGROUND: Bladder urothelial carcinoma is an alarming urologic malignancy. Complex factors like modelling and local staging can affect treatment strategy. However, local staging, particularly the muscle invasion status, significantly influences decisions regarding treatment strategies. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the novel advances of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) imaging to assess local staging in comparison with conventional cystoscopy. METHODS: Forty-three patients with painless haematuria and conventional cystoscopy findings of bladder mass underwent 3D US virtual cystoscopy. All specimens from conventional cystoscopy were processed histologically. RESULTS: Out of 43 participants, 18 (41.9%) patients proved to have invasive urothelial carcinoma by histopathology. The 3D US had a sensitivity of 97.5% and a specificity of 100%; however conventional cystoscopy was accurate in only 53.5% of the studied cases. Furthermore, in the case of malignant ulcers, mural extension into both the submucosal and the muscle layers was more readily appreciated in multiplanar images. CONCLUSION: 3D US updates are promising for use in bladder tumour modelling and local staging; however, they can be of value in evaluating mural and extramural tumour extent and have proven accuracy.