Periprostatic Nerve Block vs. Intravenous Ibuprofen for Pain Management During Transrectal Prostate Biopsy...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Pain Management
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Prostate biopsy is a common procedure associated with patient discomfort.
• Effective pain management is crucial for patient tolerance and procedural success.
• Current analgesic options require further comparative evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of intravenous (IV) ibuprofen versus periprostatic nerve block (PPNB) for pain control during prostate biopsies.
• To identify factors influencing pain scores in patients undergoing prostate biopsy.

Main Methods:

• A prospective randomized study involving 128 patients undergoing prostate biopsy.
• Patients were allocated to either IV ibuprofen (Group 1) or PPNB (Group 2).
• Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS); demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• PPNB (Group 2) demonstrated significantly lower median VAS scores across all procedural stages compared to IV ibuprofen (Group 1) (p < 0.001).
• No significant differences were observed between groups regarding age, prostate volume, BMI, PI-RADS, or biopsy pathology (p > 0.05).
• In the IV ibuprofen group, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and malignant pathology correlated with higher pain scores.

Conclusions:

• PPNB is a superior analgesic method for prostate biopsies compared to IV ibuprofen.
• IV ibuprofen may serve as an alternative for patients unable or unwilling to receive PPNB.
• Further large-scale studies are recommended to validate these findings.