Does pericapsular lignocaine reduce pain during transrectal ultrasonography-guided biopsy of the prostate?

To evaluate whether injection with pericapsular lignocaine before transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided biopsy reduces the perceived pain of prostatic biopsy.

The study included 121 patients referred for TRUS-guided biopsy of the prostate; 27 underwent biopsy with no previous injection and 94 were randomized to pericapsular injection with either 1% lignocaine or a placebo (saline). Both patient and operator were unaware of the content of the injection. The injection was delivered under TRUS guidance to the apex of the prostate. Routine sextant biopsies were taken using an 18 G needle in a spring-loaded biopsy gun. A validated pain scale, the NRS11 (0, no pain, to 10, unbearable pain), was used to record the pain of each biopsy.

No significant placebo effect was detected between the 'no injection' and the placebo-injection group, with mean (95% confidence interval) pain scores of 3.58 (2.77-4.39) and 4.01 (3.46-4.51), respectively, using the unpaired Student's t-test (P = 0.409). There was a statistically significant lower mean pain score in the lignocaine group, at 2.54 (2.00-3.10), than in the placebo-injection group (P < 0.001).

Pericapsular injection with 1% lignocaine significantly reduces the perceived pain of TRUS-guided prostatic biopsy.