An ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy is a procedure where a special probe the size of a finger is inserted into the rectum to take a small sample of tissue from the prostate gland. The sample then goes to a laboratory for testing.
A prostate biopsy is currently the only way to diagnose prostate cancer. It also helps tell cancer apart from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or nodular enlargement of the prostate, a very common condition in middle-aged and older men that requires a different treatment approach than cancer.
Your doctor may order prostate biopsy if there is a nodule or other abnormality on the prostate detected during a digital rectal examination (DRE), a common prostate cancer screening test.
The entire ultrasound-guided biopsy procedure usually takes 45 minutes or less.
The ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy is carried out by a radiologist or urologist, assisted by a sonographer and often a nurse who helps look after the patient.
A new, more accurate way of performing prostate cancer biopsies, MRI Fusion helps urologic surgeons remove the right amount of tissue to diagnose prostate cancer, reducing the risk of having to undergo a second biopsy.
This technique fuses pre-biopsy magnetic resonance images of the prostate with ultrasound-guided biopsy images in real time. This give urologist a clearer view of both normal tissue and of suspicious lesions.
After the biopsy samples are taken, the probe is removed and, if you have had a general anesthetic, you are awakened. You are then given a small pad to wear in case of any bleeding. You will be kept under observation.