Hospitalization Risk Higher Following Prostate Biopsy

An analysis of hospital admissions from 1991 to 2007 for 17,472 men who underwent prostate biopsy and 134,977 controls revealed a 30-day hospitalization rate of 6.9% within 30 days of biopsy—substantially higher than the 2.7% in the control population. Men hospitalized with biopsy-related infections had mortality risk 12 times higher than men who did not undergo the procedure. More recent year of biopsy, nonwhite race, and higher comorbidity scores were significantly associated with an increased risk of infectious complications of biopsy. While infectious complications post-biopsy have increased since 2000, the rate of serious noninfectious complications is relatively stable Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD, and colleagues reported online in The Journal of Urology. The researchers recommend careful patient selection for prostate biopsy.