Transperineal or Transrectal Prostate Biospy

If you are like me, the thought of serious infection or sepsis is a very scary prospect if you must have a prostate biopsy.  Prostate cancer is bad enough, but it usually isn’t an immediate threat and is often treatable.  Sepsis is a very real and very urgent life-threatening risk.  In the case of resistant bacteria, treatments may not be guaranteed.

Here is a nice guide to compare trans-rectal (TRUS) to trans-perineal biopsies (TPB):

Transrectal or transperineal biopsy: which is best?

There is apparently less risk of infection for this type of biopsy that goes in through the skin under the anus, rather than from inside the rectum.   It may also allow for better sampling of some areas of the anterior prostate, such that it’s the preferred method when extra cores saturating more of the prostate are needed. The main drawback seems to be that it is usually done under general anesthesia, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in my experience.  This does usually mean at least one night in the hospital in many cases.   I have survived two trans-rectal biopsies without infection, but consider myself lucky. I will seriously consider a TPB in the future if the option is available.

One thought on “Transperineal or Transrectal Prostate Biospy”

  1. I recently had a TBP .
    I was only lightly sedated as they said it would give better recovery .
    Well I felt them all I did receive a local but that wasn’t enough .
    I would not go through that again without being put out I did try I was trying to talk with the assistant and tried to zone out but it was to much ,but it is all done now I feel weak I am now on day 2 following the procedure but onwards and upwards-let’s hope.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.