Hi All,
Need some help…..
Quick question: How important is it to make sure I don’t have a bacterial infection in my prostate before my biopsy procedure?
I was prescribed a 30-day course of Cipro, and all my symptoms went away. However, several weeks after finishing the antibiotics, the symptoms returned.
Having a prostate biopsy while having a prostate infection or bacterial infection is generally not recommended.
1. Risk of Spread: Conducting a biopsy during an active infection can increase the risk of spreading the bacteria, potentially leading to more serious infections such as sepsis.
2. Inflammation: Inflammation caused by an infection can make the biopsy procedure more painful and complicated.
3. Biopsy Accuracy: Infection and inflammation can interfere with the accuracy of the biopsy results. The presence of infection-related changes in the prostate tissue may obscure or mimic cancerous changes, leading to potential misinterpretation.
Typically, doctors will treat the infection first with antibiotics before considering a biopsy. Once the infection is resolved and the inflammation has subsided, a biopsy can be safely performed if still deemed necessary. It’s crucial to discuss your specific situation with your healthcare provider to determine the best course of action.
Thank you very much.
John
Hello John.
I think you already have the answer that if you suspect you have prostatitis then this needs to be checked out before you have a biopsy. By Cipro I presume you mean Ciprofloxacin which is a broad spectrum antibiotic used to treat a range of bacterial infections and is usually sufficient after a 30 day course to get rid of the bug (normally Escherichia Coli). If your symptoms have come back it could mean that you have a bug which is resistant to the initial antibiotic or possibly a different bug. This may be checked out to find out what bug is causing the problem and a more targeted antibiotic used. A urine sample can be cultured and plated onto a Petri dish, then challenged with small discs loaded with different individual antibiotics. If a clear zone appears around the disc this indicates the bug is susceptible to it, and the size of the zone tells you how strongly.
Please remember that none of us are medically trained so you need to see your doctor and get their advice.
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