Perineal prostate biopsy

Abstract

The prostate biopsy is an essential tool for diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa). While transrectal biopsy (TR-Bx) continues to be considered the gold standard in Germany, the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines increasingly recommend transperineal biopsy (TP-Bx) due to lower infection rates and higher tumor detection rates. This article provides an overview of the history and development of the perineal biopsy, compares TR-Bx and TP-Bx and discusses the need for antibiotic prophylaxis before TP-Bx. Current studies have shown that TP-Bx can be performed without antibiotic prophylaxis and new techniques such as robotic-assisted and vector biopsy show very precise results. The establishment of TP-Bx is being promoted by extrabudgetary funding and technological advancements, with the choice of biopsy method remaining an individual decision jointly made in dialogue with the patient.