title: Efficiency of short and long term antimicrobial therapy in transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prostate biopsy is a frequent diagnostic measure to detect prostatic conditions, including primarily prostate cancer. Its performance does not follow a pattern, mainly regarding preparation for the examination through antimicrobial prophylaxis. The aim of this study is to compare the efficiency of short and long term antimicrobial prophylaxis in transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A clinical study was conducted with a total of 140 patients submitted to prostate biopsy with transrectal ultrasonographic control. Patients were randomly separated in two groups: Group 1 receiving norfloxacin 400mg single dose before the procedure and Group 2 receiving norfloxacin 400mg initiating before the procedure and then bid up to 6 doses. Efficiency control was determined by the incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) and complications in both groups after statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of minor complications in our study was 75%, consistent with data found in the literature. Among the patients with diagnosis of simple UTI, 23% belonged to Group 1 and 8% to Group 2 (p=0.08). Among the patients with complicated UTI, 37% belonged to Group 1 and none belonged to Group 2 (p=0.44).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several advances made transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies a useful and safe diagnostic tool in the workup of urologic patients. There is no optimal prophylactic preparation to the performance of this procedure. Long term antimicrobial prophylaxis presents a trend toward lower incidence of infectious complications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Porto Alegre General Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Petteffi
authors.forename: Gustavo P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Toniazzo
authors.forename: Guilherme B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: Alberto C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Walter J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Koff