Table 1. Characteristics of included studies.
| First Author | Year | Study Design | Patients Number/Groups | Local Anesthesia Methods | Injection Site of PNB | Pain Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alavi AS | 2001 | RCT | 150/2 | PNB;IRLA | Base | VAS |
| Adamakis I | 2004 | RCT | 198/3 | N;IRLA;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Addla SK | 2003 | RCT | 98/2 | P;PNB | Base + Apex | VAS |
| Akdere H | 2013 | RCT | 80/2 | N;PNB | Between Base and Apex | VAS |
| Bingqian L | 2009 | RCT | 300/3 | N;PNB;PNB + IPLA | Base | VAS |
| Buckley MR | 2006 | RCT | 240/4 | N;IRLA;PNB | Base, Apex | NAS |
| Cam K | 2008 | RCT | 200/2 | PNB;PNB + IPLA | Base | VAS |
| Cantiello F | 2012 | RCT | 180/2 | IRLA + PPB;IRLA + PNB | Base | VAS |
| Cevik I | 2002 | RCT | 100/2 | P;IRLA | VSA | |
| Chang SS | 2001 | RCT | 108/2 | P;IRLA | VAS | |
| Galosi AB | 2005 | RCT | 210/4 | N;P;IRLA | VAS | |
| Hiros M | 2010 | RCT | 90/3 | N;IRLA;PNB | Base + Apex | VAS |
| Inal G | 2004 | RCT | 90/3 | N;P;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Ingber MS | 2010 | RCT | 50/2 | P;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Izol V | 2012 | RCT | 100/4 | N;PNB;IRLA | Base | VAS |
| Jindal T | 2014 | RCT | 139/3 | IRLA;IRLA + PPB;IRLA + PNB | Base | VAS |
| Kandirali E | 2009 | RCT | 80/4 | N; Perianal; IRLA; Perianal + IRLA | VAS | |
| Kaver I | 2002 | RCT | 152/2 | N;PNB | Base + Apex | VAS |
| Knobloch R | 2002 | RCT | 68/2 | N;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Kravchick S | 2005 | RCT | 114/4 | N; PNB; Perianal | Base | VAS |
| Kuppusamy S | 2010 | RCT | 386/4 | N;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Lee HY | 2007 | RCT | 152/3 | IPLA + P;PNB + P;IPLA + PNB | Base | VAS |
| Leibovici D | 2002 | RCT | 90/2 | P;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Mallick S | 2005 | RCT | 356/2 | IRLA;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Manikandan R | 2003 | RCT | 235/3 | N;PNB | Base + Apex | VAS |
| Nambirajan T | 2004 | RCT | 96/2 | N;PNB | Base + Apex | VAS |
| Nash PA | 1996 | RCT | 64/2 | P;PNB | Base | Other |
| Obek C | 2004 | RCT | 300/4 | N; PNB,IRLA + PNB | Base | NAS |
| Obi AO | 2011 | RCT | 75/3 | C;PNB | Base + Apex | VAS |
| Ozden E | 2003 | RCT | 175/7 | P;PNB | Base, Base + Apex | VAS |
| Pareek G | 2001 | RCT | 132/2 | P;PNB | Base | Other |
| Raber M | 2008 | RCT | 300/3 | P;PNB;IRLA + PNB | Base | VAS |
| Rabets JC | 2004 | RCT | 75/3 | N;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Rodriguez A | 2003 | RCT | 96/2 | IRLA;PNB | Apex | VAS |
| Schostak M | 2002 | RCT | 170/4 | N;PNB | Base, Apex | VAS |
| Seçkiner I | 2011 | RCT | 90/3 | P;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Seymour H | 2001 | RCT | 157/2 | N;PNB | Apex | Other |
| Singh SK | 2012 | RCT | 142/3 | P;PNB;PNB + IPLA | Base | VAS |
| Song SH | 2006 | RCT | 90/3 | P;IRLA;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Stirling BN | 2002 | RCT | 150/3 | N;IRLA;PNB | Base | Other |
| Trucchi A | 2005 | RCT | 60/3 | N;PNB | Base | Other |
| Turgut AT | 2006 | RCT | 93/3 | N; PNB | Base | VAS |
| Vanni AP | 2004 | RCT | 40/2 | P;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Walker AE | 2002 | RCT | 121/3 | N;P;PNB | Apex | Other |
| Wu CL | 2001 | RCT | 40/2 | P;PNB | Base | VAS |
| Yurdakul T | 2009 | RCT | 100/4 | N;IRLA;IRLA + PNB | Base | VAS |
RCT: randomized controlled trial; N: no anesthetic; P: placebo; PNB: periprostatic nerve block; IRLA: intrarectal local anesthesia; IPLA: intraprostatic local anesthesia; PPB: pelvic plexus block; Base: neurovascular bundle at the base of the prostate; Apex: the apex of prostate; VAS: visual analogue scale; NAS: numerical analogue scale.