Patients' tolerance and early complications of transrectal sonographically guided prostate biopsy: prospective study of 300 patients.

Purpose: To determine the degree of pain and discomfort associated with transrectal sonography (TRS)-guided biopsy of the prostate and to analyze the complications associated with this procedure.

Methods: Three hundred men referred as part of an investigation to exclude prostate cancer were studied. The reasons for referral were suspected prostate cancer due to increased serum prostate-specific antigen level (>4 ng/ml), the finding of a palpable nodule or greater firmness of one prostatic lobe than the other on digital rectal examination, or the finding of a suspicious area of neoplasm of the prostate on TRS biopsy.