How should we be doing prostate biopsies?

Einstein once said: “To look to the future, we must first look back upon the past,” and it is interesting to note that the very first prostate biopsies performed in the early 20th century by Benjamin Barringer at Memorial Hospital in New York were obtained via the perineum (the skin overlying the prostate). The close anatomical relation of the prostate to the rectum was appreciated even at this time, and accessing the prostate via the transrectal route was considered but there was some apprehension, even then, about the risks of faecal contamination related to passing a needle via the rectal wall.

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