Does periprostatic block reduce pain during transrectal prostate biopsy? A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study.

Introduction: Currently, the use of local anesthetic at the time of transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate is not universally accepted, as the needle injection itself causes pain. In prior studies, lidocaine was compared to placebo in separate patient groups. We present the first study to evaluate both lidocaine and placebo injected in each patient.