Prostate Gland Needle Biopsy

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• A prostate gland needle biopsy is a procedure to remove samples of tissue from your prostate gland. Your prostate gland is the male sex gland that makes the fluid part of your semen (fluid containing sperm). Your prostate gland is found below your bladder and surrounds the top of your urethra. Your urethra is a tube that carries urine outside your body. You may need a prostate biopsy if your prostate felt abnormal during a rectal exam. You may also need a prostate biopsy if you have a high prostate specific antigen (PSA) level. A high PSA level may mean your prostate gland is enlarged or you have an infection. A high PSA level may also be a sign of prostate cancer.
  
  
• During your procedure, a needle is used to take samples of tissue from your prostate gland. A prostate gland biopsy may help you learn the cause of your prostate problem. Learning the cause of your prostate problem will allow you to get proper treatment. If you have prostate cancer, the sooner it is found, the easier it may be to treat. Learning you have prostate cancer and getting treatment may help prevent the cancer from spreading.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your caregivers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

RISKS:

• During your procedure, your blood pressure may drop, making you feel dizzy. You may feel pain during and after your procedure. Your bladder, prostate, urethra, and nearby tissues or organs may be damaged during the procedure. After your procedure, you may have bruises and bleeding from your rectum. You may have blood in your urine, bowel movements (BMs), or semen. You may get a fever or an infection in your urinary tract or prostate gland. The infection may spread to your blood and the rest of your body.
  
  
• If you have prostate cancer, the biopsy tissue samples may not show the cancer. If your biopsy results are not correct, you may not get the treatment you need. Sometimes, the biopsy may show cancer when there is no cancer in your prostate gland. If this happens, you may get cancer treatment you do not need. You may need another prostate biopsy. Anxiety about your biopsy results may lead to problems with sex. Problems include no desire for sex and trouble getting an erection (hardening of the penis).
  
  
• If you do not have a prostate gland biopsy, you may not learn the cause of your prostate problem. You may not get proper treatment. A prostate gland infection may cause pain and problems when you urinate. An enlarged prostate gland may block your urine flow. If you have prostate cancer, it may spread to other areas of your body. When cancer spreads to other areas, it is harder to treat. Prostate cancer can be life-threatening, and you may die. Talk with your caregiver if you have questions or concerns about your procedure, condition, or care.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE:

Before your procedure:

• Informed consent: A consent form is a legal document that explains the tests, treatments, or procedures that you may need. Informed consent means you understand what will be done and can make decisions about what you want. You give your permission when you sign the consent form. You can have someone sign this form for you if you are not able to sign it. You have the right to understand your medical care in words you know. Before you sign the consent form, understand the risks and benefits of what will be done. Make sure all your questions are answered.
  
  
• IV: An IV (intravenous) is a small tube placed in your vein that is used to give you medicine or liquids.
  
  
• Vital signs: Caregivers will check your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature. They will also ask about your pain. These vital signs give caregivers information about your current health.
  
  
• Medicines:
  
  
  • Enema: You may be given an enema (liquid medicine put in your rectum) to help clean out your bowel. Your rectum is the lowest section of bowel that holds your stool until you have a bowel movement (BM).
    
    
  • Antianxiety medicine: This medicine may be given to decrease anxiety and help you feel calm and relaxed.
    
    
  • Antibiotics: Antibiotics may be given to help prevent an infection caused by germs called bacteria. You may have antibiotic medicine before and after your procedure.
    
    
  • Pain medicine: You may be given pain medicine before your procedure to help decrease your pain during the procedure.
  
  
• Pre-op care: You are taken to the procedure room and moved to a bed or table. You will lie on your back, side, or stomach, with your legs apart.
  
  
• Anesthesia: Anesthesia medicine may be given to help keep you comfortable during the procedure. Caregivers work with you to decide which anesthesia medicine is best for you. You may get any of the following:
  
  
  • Local anesthesia: Local anesthesia is a shot of medicine put into the skin. The medicine numbs (loses feeling in) the area and may help dull your pain. You may get one or more shots of local anesthesia near your prostate gland. Local anesthesia gel may be inserted into your rectum to dull your pain. The gel may be given with or without the shots of local anesthesia. You may still feel pressure or pushing during the procedure after you get this medicine.
    
    
  • General anesthesia: Caregivers use this medicine to keep you asleep and free from pain during surgery. They give you anesthesia through your IV or as a gas. You may breathe in the gas through a mask or through a breathing tube placed down your throat. The tube may cause you to have a sore throat when you wake up.
    
    
  • Spinal anesthesia: Spinal anesthesia is a shot of medicine put into your back to numb you below the waist. Feeling below the waist returns in about two hours.

During your procedure:

• A transrectal ultrasound may be used to guide the procedure. A small tube is put into your rectum to show pictures of your prostate on a screen. A biopsy needle is put in through your rectum into your prostate gland. A small sample of tissue is removed with the needle. Your caregiver may take between 6 to 12 samples of tissue from different areas of your prostate gland. A new needle is used to take each tissue sample. Each sample is sent to a lab for testing.
  
  

After your procedure:

You will be able to rest until you are fully awake. Do not get out of bed until your caregiver says it is okay. Once caregivers see that you are not having any problems, you may be able to go home.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.