Infection is most common complication of prostate biopsy

(HealthDay)—The most common complication of prostate biopsy is infection, with mild bleeding also reported, according to an update of the American Urological Association White Paper published in the August issue of The Journal of Urology.

Michael A. Liss, M.D., from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, and colleagues conducted a literature review to examine the prevalence and prevention of common complications of prostate needle biopsy. They focused on infection, bleeding, urinary retention, needle tract seeding, and erectile dysfunction in 346 articles identified for full text review and 119 articles that were included in the final data synthesis.

The authors note that the most common complication of prostate biopsy was infection, with a prominent role for fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli. The reported rates of infectious complications varied from 0.1 to 7.0 percent, while rates of sepsis varied from 0.3 to 3.1 percent, depending on antibiotic prophylaxis regimens. Another common complication was mild, self-limiting, and transient bleeding. Other complications were very rare.

"Risk assessment should be performed for all patients to identify known risk factors for harboring fluoroquinolone resistance," the authors write. "If infection incidence increases check the local antibiogram, current equipment and cleaning practices, and consider alternate approaches to antibiotic prevention such as needle cleaning, risk basked augmentation, rectal culture with targeted prophylaxis, and transperineal biopsy."

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