To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of multiparametric endorectal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, including T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted (DW), and dynamic contrast material-enhanced (DCE) MR techniques, for the diagnosis of seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) and to determine the incremental value of DW MR and DCE MR images.

This retrospective HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the institutional review board, with a waiver of informed consent. The study included 131 patients (mean age, 68 years; range, 43-75 years) who underwent endorectal MR imaging before radical prostatectomy between January 2007 and April 2010. Two radiologists (A: experienced, B: less experienced) estimated the likelihood of SVI by using a five-point ordinal scale in three image-viewing settings: T2-weighted images alone; T2-weighted and DW MR images; and T2-weighted, DW MR, and DCE MR images. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. Confidence intervals estimated with bootstrapping and the McNemar test or Fisher exact test were used to compare sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value.

Of the 131 patients, 23 (17.6%) had SVI identified after surgery. Review of T2-weighted MR images alone resulted in high specificity (93.1% and 93.6%, for radiologists A and B, respectively) and high negative predictive value (94.8% and 94.0%) but moderate sensitivity (59% and 52%) and positive predictive value (52% and 50%). Review of T2-weighted and DW MR images significantly improved specificity (96.6% [P = .02] and 98.3% [P = .003]) and positive predictive value (70% [P < .05] and 79% [P < .05]) without significantly improving AUC. Additional review of DCE MR images did not yield further incremental improvement.

Additional review of DW MR images improves specificity and positive predictive value in SVI detection compared with reviewing T2-weighted images alone. Addition of DCE MR images to this combination, however, does not provide incremental value for diagnosis of SVI.