Prostate biopsy is a common office procedure.  Understanding what happens during your Prostate Biopsy will make the experience less stressful.

   Men are always prescribed antibiotics before and after the Prostate Biopsy.  All blood thinning medications are stopped before the procedure.  Talk with you physician if you are taking any blood thinning medications like aspirn Coumandin  Plavix or others.  Sometimes an enema is also required before this test.  Men can easily drive to the office to have this biopsy.  There is no systemic anesthetic, but a local anesthesia is used during the procedure. 

   The actual biopsy requires a patient to lie on the examination table on his side.  The Urologist places a probe that is a similar size to his finger, into the patient’s rectum.  The probe has a small hollow needle that pushes into the prostate thru the rectum for the biopsy.  The entire test takes just a few minutes.  There is minimal discomfort during this procedure.

   After the biopsy, the men are asked to not do heavy work for approximately 48 hours.  Most men return to work the next day.  There may be blood present in the urine or the bowel movement for a few hours, or even, in rare circumstances, for a few weeks.
 
   In approximately one week, the men will return to the office to discuss their biopsy report.  In reviewing large groups of men having prostate biopsies, there appears to be a 40% chance that the prostate biopsy will be positive for cancer.   The men who do not have a diagnosis of cancer will continued to be monitored with office visits over the coming months.

   Our Urology Group has the advantage of having a Nationally recognized Urological Pathologist to read the biopsy slides for our patients.   Due to his expertise, Kirk Wojno MD is often asked to provide a second opinion for the biopsy of patients from other Urologists. He is also active in National Urologic Pathology projects as a leader in this field.