PATIENT TOLERANCE OF TRANSRECTAL ULTRASOUND-GUIDED BIOPSY OF THE PROSTATE

Objectives To determine the acceptability by patients of ultrasound-gu ided prostatic biopsy without anaesthesia. Patients and methods From J anuary 1995 to January 1996, 81 patients in our department undergoing transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy were asked to assess the tolerability of the procedure using an immediate post-operative quest ionnaire including a 10 cm linear visual analogue scale (VAS). Results The mean VAS score was 3 (standard error 0.24) and 16% of the patient s had a VAS score of greater than or equal to 5. Responses to the ques tionnaire showed that 6% of patients judged that the procedure should have been performed under general anaesthesia, while 19% would not agr ee to undergo it again without some form of anaesthesia. Conclusions E ven when anaesthesia-free, transrectal ultrasound-guided prostatic bio psy was felt to be only mildly uncomfortable by most patients, but 19% judged that it should be accompanied by some form of anaesthesia. Con sequently, local anaesthetic techniques to enhance tolerance to this t ype of intervention without sacrificing the advantages of the current out-patient setting should be reassessed.