Prevention and management of infectious complications in prostate biopsy: A review

Prostate biopsies are common procedures for urologists, performed in order to detect and diagnose prostate cancer. Procedures continue to evolve, for instance, recently there has been an increase in the use of the transperineal approach, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a challenge. This review examines the recent prostate biopsy literature as well as the guidelines of three urological associations. We review the recent literature, including our own recent studies, and the Japanese Urological Association, European Association of Urology and American Urological Association guidelines, and summarize the current recommendations regarding the prevention of infectious complications that can occur after prostate biopsy, including the use of antimicrobial agents, and the management and treatment of such complications. Current recommendations include single-dose or 1-day use of oral quinolones for infection control, along with consideration of high-risk patients with diabetes, steroid use, large prostates, or high residual urine volume for instance. Targeted therapies based on the results of rectal swabs carried out prior to transrectal prostate biopsy, which can provide better inhibitory data with regard to post-prostate biopsy infectious complications, can also be considered. In conclusion, oral quinolones for low-risk patients and targeted therapies for high-risk patients are recommended when using a transrectal approach to prostate biopsy, and oral quinolones are recommended when using a transperineal approach. Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to draw more definitive conclusions.

Intraprostatic prophylactic antibiotic injection in patients undergoing transrectal ultrasonography-guided prostate biopsy

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy of intraprostatic injection of prophylactic antibiotics for the prevention of infections following transrectal ultrasonography-guided prostate biopsy.

METHODS

In this prospective interventional study, patients aged between 40 and 70 years with clinical indications for transrectal ultrasonography-guided prostate biopsy were enrolled. Consecutive patients who received intraprostatic injection of amikacin coupled with oral ciprofloxacin were compared with historical controls receiving only prophylactic oral fluoroquinolones prior to biopsy. Patients were followed for 7 days after biopsy for signs and symptoms of infection.

RESULTS

A total of 210 patients were included in this study (mean age 65.7 ± 7.8 years). Among patients without intraprostatic injection, nine (8.6%) developed infectious complications (lower urinary tract infection in seven patients, and prostatitis in two), which led to hospitalization in six patients (5.7%). None of the patients who received intraprostatic antibiotic injection developed infectious complications. The difference in the incidence of post-transrectal ultrasonography-guided biopsy infections between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

Local intraprostatic antibiotic injection during transrectal ultrasonography-guided prostate biopsy adjuvant to oral fluoroquinolones can significantly reduce the rate of post-biopsy infectious complications.

Prevention of infectious complications after prostate biopsy procedure

Although febrile complications are rarely encountered after a prostate biopsy procedure, in recent years the number of cases of fatal infection after that have increased along with increases in resistant bacteria. The available biopsy approaches are transrectal and transperineal, with the transrectal approach primarily used. As the invasion path of the puncture needle differs between these approaches, pretreatment and the method of administration of preventive antimicrobial drugs should be separately considered for infection prevention. Recently, the Japanese guidelines for perioperative infection prevention in the field of urology were revised after receiving approval from the Japanese Urological Association. With use of the transrectal approach, attempts have been made to selectively administer prophylactic antibiotics by confirming the presence or absence of resistant bacteria in rectal swab culture results before carrying out a prostate biopsy procedure because of potential problems associated with resistant bacteria in rectal flora. For preventive antibiotics, a single dose of oral quinolone is recommended for patients with low risk, whereas daily administrations of piperacillin/tazobactam are recommended for those considered to be high risk. In contrast, for the transperineal procedure, a single dose of oral quinolone is recommended as a preventive antibiotic. With both approaches, it is important to empirically administer broad-spectrum antimicrobials when occurrence of a febrile infection after a prostate biopsy procedure is confirmed.