Effect of butylscopolamine on the quality MRI images of the prostate

Aim: To evaluate the impact of butylscopolamine on the quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of the prostate. Material and methods: Eighty-two MRI examinations of the prostate were retrospectively analysed. MRI was performed with a combined endorectal/body phased-array coil including proton density-weighted (PD) sequence, T1-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE)-sequence, and T2-weighted TSE-sequences. Forty milligrams of butylscopolamine was administered intramuscularly in 31 patients (im-group) and intravenously in 30 patients (iv-group). Twenty-one patients did not receive premedication with butylscopolamine (o-group). Overall image quality, delineation of the bowel wall, and visualization of the prostate, neurovascular bundle, and pelvic lymph nodes were evaluated qualitatively using a five-point scale (from 1 = excellent to 5 = non-diagnostic/structure not discernible). Motion artefacts within the endorectal coil were quantified by baseline adjusted signal intensities inside the endorectal coil area. Results: Delineation of the bowel wall using the PD-sequence was significantly improved after both intramuscular and intravenous butylscopolamine administration (o-group: 3.6 ± 0.7; im-group: 2.9 ± 0.7; iv-group: 2.9 ± 0.7; p = 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in motion artefacts measured within the endorectal coil (o-group: 1.18 ± 0.14; im-group: 1.15 ± 0.11; iv-group: 1.12 ± 0.06; p = 0.39). There were also no significant differences in qualitative assessment of visualization of the prostate, neurovascular bundle, pelvic lymph nodes, and of overall image quality between the study groups. Conclusion: : In conclusion, butylscopolamine had only a small effect on image quality and is not mandatory for MRI of the prostate.