Levator Ani Necrosis: An Exceptional Complication Occurring after “High Intensity Focused Ultrasound” of the Prostate

Abstract EN

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a minimally invasive treatment option that might be considered in the management of localized prostate cancer.

It is a well-tolerated treatment with few minor urologic complications and no major toxicities.

In this paper, we report to our knowledge the first case of levator ani necrosis in a patient treated with HIFU, manifesting as sturdy perineal pain, which took years of NSAID intake and serial MRIs to demonstrate partial improvement.

Therefore, we regard HIFU as a serious potential treatment option that still requires longer follow-up data before its approval in the personalized treatment panel of prostate cancer.