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Brief summary: |
Trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy of the prostate is a routine method of testing for prostate cancer, which is one of the most common cancers affecting men. The procedure involves passing a probe into the rectum and guiding a needle into the prostate to obtain tissue. Usually 6 to 24 biopsies are taken and the ability to detect cancer improves with increasing biopsies.
Pain relief for this procedure has ranges from nothing or local anaesthetic gel, when performed in the urologist’s room to full general anaesthesia when performed in hospital. Numerous studies have found that injection of local anaesthetic around the prostate improves pain relief and tolerance of the procedure.
Caudal anaesthesia is a common method of providing pain relief. It is almost routinely used in children undergoing genital and lower abdominal surgery such as circumcision and hernia repair. It is also used in adults undergoing perianal surgery such as haemorrhoidectomy.
Caudal anaesthesia involves injecting local anaesthetic into the caudal space. The caudal space is a continuation of the epidural space, a fatty layer around the spinal cord.
This study will compare the pain relief provided by caudal anaesthesia with local anaesthetic gel in men undergoing TRUS guided biopsy of the prostate |
