Some years later Stamey modified the sextant technique and took sextant biopsies that were lateral to the mid-sagittal plane in the peripheral zone where most prostate cancers are typically located (Stamey, 1995). Other investigators went on to study alternatives to the traditional sextant biopsy, namely the optimum number of core biopsies for diagnosis as well as sampling of the transition zone in an effort to improve the negative predictive value of prostate biopsy. Intuitively researchers began sampling more prostatic tissue however the procedure was not without pain. Sixty-five to 90% of patients experienced discomfort (Clements et al., 1993; Collins et al., 1993) and this discomfort was proportional to.