Prostate Biopsy Dangers
Doctors perform prostate biopsies when they suspect male patients have prostate cancer. The procedure involves inserting a viewing device and a needle into the patient's rectum, penis or skin between the scrotum and anus and guiding the needle to make contact with and remove a small amount of tissue from the prostate. Minor bleeding issues, infections and pain constitute the principal risks of a prostate needle biopsy. Urinary problems can also develop.
Blood in Semen
A Mayo Clinic fact sheet states that about one half of the men who undergo a prostate needle biopsy will notice that their "semen has a pinkish tint caused by a small amount of blood in" the fluid. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Cancer Centers clarifies on its website that this phenomenon occurs because the needle used during the biopsy damages small blood vessels in and around the prostate. The blood vessels almost always heal quickly, and semen returns to its normally color within two months.
Pain
Doctors apply topical anesthetics to the area through which they will access the prostrate. When the anesthesia wears off, men can expect some soreness or irritation in and around the biopsy site. Discomfort generally does not become severe or last long, but men need to contact their doctor if they find the pain persistent or unbearable.
Surgical Site Bleeding
In addition to minor prostate bleeding, men who undergo a prostate biopsy can experience bleeding at the site where the doctor inserted the instruments. Men can expect to see a little blood in their urine or stool for a brief period following a prostrate biopsy. Also, men who take blood thinners such as warfarin (for example, Coumadin from Bristol-Myers Squibb) or digoxin (for example, Lanoxin from GlaxoSmithKline) need to stop taking those medications for some period before and after their biopsy. As with pain, men need to contact their doctor for follow-up treatment if their bleeding becomes heavy or does not stop after a day or two.
Infection
Even minimally invasive procedures such as needle biopsies put patients at some risk for infection. Signs that a man who has undergone a prostrate biopsy has contracted an infection include fever, unusual discharge from the penis and swelling in the lower abdominal or genital area. The Mayo Clinic notes that serious infections following a prostate biopsy occur only rarely.
Trouble Urinating
Any man who has trouble passing urine or experiences sharp pain while urinating after undergoing a prostate needle biopsy needs to call his doctor. If the biopsy caused damage to the urethra, which connects both the bladder and prostate to the tip of the penis, the man may need to have a catheter inserted to permit urine to flow out of his body. Few men require this, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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