Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Oftentimes a blood sample will also be obtained for the measurement of prostate specific antigen (PSA). PSA is currently the most important blood marker for prostate diseases. It is elevated in men with prostate cancer, but can also be elevated in men with BPH depending on the size of their prostate. In fact, there is a pretty good relationship between the size of the benignly enlarged prostate and the serum PSA. The PSA values also increase with advancing age. Your doctor will make careful assessment of your age, your prostate size, and the PSA value. If he thinks that your PSA value is too high for the prostate size, and/or for your age, he may recommend to you a transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy also abbreviated as TRUS biopsy.

A TRUS biopsy consists of the insertion of an ultrasound probe approximately the size of an adult man’s thumb into your rectum. The ultrasound probe allows the physician to inspect the prostate visually. It produces a gray pattern image which you may have seen in your doctor’s office. It is the same type of picture that is used to look at kidneys, liver, and at unborn babies in the obstetrician’s office. The doctor also can measure the prostate and accurately determine its size. Further, the ultrasound image allows the doctor to accurately obtain needle core samples from the prostate to exclude the possibility of prostate cancer being present.

Answers to Common Questions About TRUS Biopsy

For more information about the Department of Urology, contact:

Phone: 214-648-4765, FAX: 214-648-4789

Mailing Address: 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., J8.148, Dallas, TX 75390-9110