Prostate cancer diagnosis: value of real-time elastography.

It is well known that prostate cancer (PCa) has a higher cell density than the surrounding normal tissue. This increased cell density leads to an alteration in tissue elasticity, which can be measured and displayed by sonographic-based elastography under real-time conditions. Real-time sonoelastography (RTE) has been proven capable to visualize PCa areas as "hard" lesions and therefore can be used for PCa detection and for targeted ultrasound-guided biopsy. Further applications such as the assessment of local extent of PCa should be considered. This overview describes the capabilities, advantages, and limitations of this new ultrasound technique for PCa diagnosis.