MORBIDITY OF ULTRASOUND-GUIDED TRANSRECTAL CORE BIOPSY OF THE PROSTATE WITHOUT PROPHYLACTIC ANTIBIOTIC-THERAPY - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY IN 415CASES

Objective To evaluate prospectively the incidence of complications fol lowing transrectal core biopsy of the prostate without prophylactic an tibiotic therapy. Patients and methods The study comprised 426 consecu tive patients who underwent transrectal core biopsies of the prostate guided by transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS). The patients were reques ted to return a completed questionnaire 2 weeks after the examination; 415 patients (97.4%) did so. Results The predominant complications we re haematuria (49.6%) and rectal bleeding (21.7%), which did not requi re treatment. Twelve patients (2.9%) developed fever and II of these w ere treated successfully with antibiotics. One recovered without treat ment. One patient had urinary retention. Conclusion In this study, mos t complications following TRUS-guided biopsies were minor and required no treatment. Automated needle biopsy is an acceptable option for bio psy of the prostate and does not provoke the need for prophylactic ant ibiotic therapy. However, it is mandatory to counsel patients before b iopsy and to monitor the infection rate. The ultimate need for antibio tic prophylaxis remains to be determined.