Elastographic imaging of the normal canine prostate in vitro.

Elastography has been shown to be successful in mapping the relative mechanical attributes of normal as well as abnormal tissues. In this study, the histological characteristics of freshly excised normal canine prostates were used to explain consistently depicted elastographic features. The elastograms of the transverse cross-sections across the urethra demonstrated a consistent symmetry of the gland as well as clear anatomic structures. These include a central portion of the gland surrounding the urethra and a peripheral gland. The central gland was consistently softer than the peripheral gland. At the level of the verumontanum, depicted as a small stiff ridge, the lumen of the urethra was consistently demonstrated as an inverted soft 'u' or 'v' shaped area. The network of branching-fibrous connective tissue septa was depicted by the elastogram as linear features, which converged on the urethra. In the anterior side of the gland, the fibromuscular stroma was seen as a circumscribed hard tissue. In the sagittal view, the elastogram suggested a stiff peripheral zone surrounding a softer central zone, which is traversed by the urethra depicted as soft tissue.