[Transcatheter arterial embolization for bleeding of prostatic artery after prostate biopsy]

We present a case of bleeding from the prostatic artery, complicating transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided prostate needle biopsy, that responded to transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). A 62-year-old man with a serum PSA of 4.1 ng/ml was admitted to this institution for a prostate biopsy. He developed hypotension and marked abdominal distension 3 hours after undergoing TRUS guided prostate needle biopsy. CT scanning revealed a massive hematoma extending from the pelvis into the retroperitoneal space. Intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA) showed extravasation of dye from the right prostatic artery, indicating that it had been damaged during the biopsy procedure. The bleeding was successfully stopped with TAE, using 6 micro coils. TRUS guided prostate biopsy is generally considered a safe procedure, with few complications, and cases of massive hemorrhage into the retroperitoneal space are extremely rare. In cases of arterial retroperitoneal bleeding such as this one, treatment with TAE is fast and accurate.