Cerebral Abscess after Transrectal Needle Biopsy of the Prostate: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy is widely used for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Although considered a safe procedure it is associated with complications which can be hemorrhagic (hematuria, hematospermia and hematochezia) or infective (bacteremia, bacteriuria, urinary tract infection, pyrexia and sepsis). We present a previously unreported complication of transrectal biopsy of the prostate, cerebral abscess in an otherwise healthy 54-year-old male with suspected prostate cancer. This case report highlights the need for awareness of infective complications in this seemingly safe procedure.