Bundang Seoul National University Hospital Introduces Micro Ultrasound for the First Time to Evaluate Prostate Tumors...It's three times higher in resolution than before

Nov 24, 2025

Existing prostate ultrasound (left) and micro ultrasound (right). Existing ultrasound identified the lesion only by the shadow difference in the prostate area (circular part), but micro ultrasound can even confirm the shape of the tumor and surrounding tissue through high resolution.

The Department of Urology at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital announced that it has introduced the first micro ultrasound equipment in Korea that can evaluate prostate tumors through real-time images with a resolution three times higher than conventional ultrasound.

Using 29 MHz micro ultrasound, this instrument clearly displays the anatomy of the prostate and its surroundings and induces targeted biopsy. It has the advantage of being able to identify microscopic changes and lesions in prostate tissue and insert needles for biopsy collection in the correct location while checking suspected areas in real time.

In addition, PRI-MUS (Prostate Risk Identification Using Micro-Ultrasound), an ultrasound guide for prostate cancer diagnosis, is also linked to the identification system, allowing the assessment of the malignant potential of prostate cancer lesions as well as the precise determination of where tissues should be collected. PRI-MUS automatically determines the shape or size of the lesion on ultrasound and classifies the malignancy of the lesion into 1 to 5 levels (the higher the risk), so it helps reduce unnecessary biopsy while not missing cancer.

Conventional rigid-field ultrasound had limitations in detecting prostate tumors, especially small cancer lesions, due to low resolution. However, the high resolution of micro ultrasound and visualization of real-time images are expected to contribute sufficiently even when finding prostate cancer that cannot be detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The physical, psychological, and economic burden of patients is inevitably less than that of MRI tests.

Hong Seong-gyu, head of the urology department at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, said, `High-resolution imaging and precision targeted biopsy, which are three times better than conventional ultrasound, will present a new paradigm for prostate cancer diagnosis.' `We expect it to enable efficient and accurate diagnosis and treatment, which will greatly reduce unnecessary tests and patient anxiety.'

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.