Prostate Biopsy
A prostate biopsy is a procedure that is usually performed in the physician office or an Ambulatory Surgery Center; it may also be done in the hospital outpatient area. An escort is usually unnecessary to take you to or from the procedure.
Aspirin, or other blood thinning products, should be avoided for at least two weeks before the procedure.
One day prior:
Take the antibiotics that your doctor prescribed the day before the biopsy, the morning of the biopsy, and the day after the biopsy. Also, you will use a Fleet's enema at home prior to coming in for the biopsy.
A transrectal ultrasound probe, the size of an index finger, is inserted into the rectum. After this, the ultrasound is used to measure and take pictures of the prostate. A local anesthetic (Xylocaine) is usually injected to numb the prostate. Finally, your doctor will take between 12 and 24 small pieces of the prostate. This step is generally painless. The entire procedure usually takes less than ten minutes. Most patients are advised to take the rest of the day off at home.
After the procedure:
It is very common, and perhaps even expected, to see blood in the urine, stool or semen (or a combination of the three) to some degree. This can occur in a very unpredictable pattern, for a very variable period of time. As long as the bleeding is not making it difficult to urinate or defecate, it is not cause for concern. This particularly holds true for blood in the semen, which occasionally remains for months and is hardly ever cause for concern.
If you have a fever greater than 100.5 degrees or very painful urination, alert our office immediately so our staff can set up an appointment to have your urine examined for infection.
Finally, the pathology report takes several days to get back to our office. The urologists will either see you back in the office to discuss the result or in some instances discuss with you over the phone.