Prostate MRI Patient Preparation Questionnaire
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prostate MRI Patient Preparation Questionnaire
IRAS ID
197205
Contact name
Tristan Barrett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust R&D
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Patient preparation prior to MR imaging may help to produce the best quality images possible. We currently to not ask patients to do anything in preparation for a prostate MRI. Conversely other centres require patients to undertake bowel and/or seminal vesicle (ejaculation) preparation. Some centres ask patients to evacuate their bowels the day of the MRI study. A full rectum can cause artefact on some of our MRI sequences, particularly diffusion imaging. This simple request may therefore be useful to do. The information could potentially be provided to patients in the advice letter prior to the MRI examination and is common practice in several imaging centres. Some centres ask patients to refrain from ejaculation anywhere from 24 hours up until 72 hours prior to the MRI study. There is no published evidence for this particular preparation. Bladder fullness is less relevant to prostate MRI, but is key in bladder MRI imaging. If the bladder is over-filled we miss flat lesions and it is also uncomfortable for patients, if the bladder is under-filled, then folding of the bladder wall means we can also miss lesions. There is no agreed recommendation to give to patients to achieve bladder filling. Prostate imaging covers the bladder, so we would be able to use the information provided in an informative way for bladder MRI. The idea of the questionnaire is to ask patients what "preparation" they have had in these 3 aspects to see if we should be offering any advice pre-study in order to achieve the best possible imaging. This observational study evidence would give us an idea is any preparation is required and if so what. Any changes could then subsequently be introduced and re-assessed on an evidence base, as opposed to introducing different preparation instructions on a "trial and error" basis.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0253
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion