MRI Fusion Prostate Biopsy.

Michael, a good urologist will deaden your prostate initially. I only felt one pinch out of the 12 or so needles. Unfortunately I developed sepsis which was worse than anything I have ever endured due to the needles going through the colon wall and dragging whatever is in there to your prostate. I suggest you request a perineal biopsy which nearly eliminates infection. You will be asleep during the procedure.

Michael, yes you should be under anesthesia for this procedure. I had one a few years ago and was put under. After coming out it was no big deal, just like an ordinary needle biopsy except your asleep for it.

Michael, I had a fusion prostate biopsy performed in my urologists office in mid-August. I was given a local anesthetic (e.g., Lidocaine) and experienced no pain, just a few "pinches". I had 18 prostate tissue cores taken. Fortunately, unlike @joenfl2017, I didn't develop sepsis from my procedure. Note that every time I've had a colonoscopy, I've always been given a general anesthesia so I wasn't conscious enough to feel a polyp being removed.

Hi Michael, I'll chime in to give you one more point of view. I had this done around May of this year. My experience was much like @gankster had. In my opinion, the device that they use to make room to work is more uncomfortable than the actual "pinches" from the device that removes the cores from the prostate. It was also somewhat uncomfortable for a couple of days later. (first couple of bowel movements) I did not experience sepsis, I was prescribed Cipro for 2 days before and 3 days after the procedure. I had 12 cores taken. If I had to make the decision again ( I won't, it's not there any longer!) , I'd probably do it the same way for sake of simplicity. Obviously these are very personal decisions, one has to do what they are comfortable with! Also for the sake of comparison, I get knocked out for colonoscopies!! Good Luck !

I always request an conscious sedation and Versed - that way if it hurts I don't remember. (it causes amnesia).

Hello Michael...I've just come from the urologist. The MRI indicates cancer. He wants to do a fusion biopsy. I asked him about the transparineal type but he preferred the 'other' transrectal (I may not have the words quite right). When I asked about infection rates he said there were risks with both types. He did say that at my age (77) he didn't think we're talking surgical removal of the prostate but clearly he was not taking any questions until the biopsy results are returned. And I have no symptoms to which he said 'good.'

I'm no medical expert, so what follows is just my 2 bit opinion. That said, here's my reaction to your post. As I understand it, the big picture is when you get an MRI that shows possible cancer, the next step is a biopsy to see if they find any cancer. If the biopsy misses the cancer and comes back "clean", or falsely only finds low grade cancer but misses higher grade cancer that is there, then you basicly wait a while and repeat various tests. So you really want your biopsy to be as effective as possible in hitting all the suspicious areas on the MRI so your follow-on decisions can be based on accurate data. My urologist offered to do the biopsy for me, but he told me that if I can afford it to go a cancer center of excellence (which was 300 miles away for me) where they have the latest technology (MRI fusion biopsy) to minimize the chance of a false "clean" report. Fortunately, my insurance allowed me to take his advice and they found cancer and I proceeded accordingly. Part of my decision was that the radiologist report of my MRI said it was about 50% chance of being cancer. I really wanted to have as much confidence in the biopsy, so that's why I traveled out of town. For me, it was worth it and I'm glad I both had the option and that I made the effort. Good luck with your decision and I hope you have the best possible results going forward.

I'm scheduled for an MRI fusion biopsy Monday morning August 5. I'm in the Tampa/St Pete, FL I'm surprised that in this area no one has an up and running proton therapy center though Tampa General and Moffit are well on the way to building one. Still, both are looking at next year (2025) to open. All the very best to all our members/readers!