Meta-analysis of antibiotic prophylaxis use in transrectal prostatic biopsy

To determine whether antibiotic prophylaxis can reduce the risk of postoperative infective complications in men undergoing transrectal prostatic biopsy (TPB) who had sterile preoperative urine.

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Collaboration Reviews, Chinese Medical Current Contents (CMCC), and National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for randomized controlled trials that compared the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis with placebo or active controls for men undergoing TPB with preoperative sterile urine. Two reviewers independently extracted the data of patient characteristics and outcomes based on a prospectively developed protocol.

A total of 12 trials (3 placebo controlled, 3 non-treatment controlled, and 6 actively controlled) involving 1 987 patients, met the inclusion criteria. Prophylactic antibiotic use in patients at low risk undergoing TPB significantly decreased bacteriuria and middle degree fever incidence, but could not decrease the incidence of bacteremia. The relative risk for post-TPB bacteriuria, middle degree fever, and bacteremia were 0.32 (95%CI 0.23 to 0.46), 0.37 (95%CI 0.17 to 0.77), and 0.96 (95%CI 0.61 to 1.50), respectively. Effective antibiotic classes included quinolone, co-quinolone and nitroimidazole, and co-trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. Treatment protocols of any duration were effective.

Antibiotic prophylaxis obviously decreases the incidence of bacteriuria and middle degree fever but not bacteremia in men with preoperative sterile urine undergoing TPB. A significant decrease in bacteriuria incidence can be achieved with a range of antibiotic agents, including quinolones and co-quinolone and nitroimidazole. Treatment protocols of any duration are effective with no heterogeneity.