Pictures of bruising on penis after vasectomy - day 3

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Bruising on penis day 3 after vasectomy

The photograph opposite was submitted with the following question to our Ask the Doctor section, and was taken on day 3 after the vasectomy.

Question:-
Thank you for taking the time to look at my question. Today is Wednesday. Monday at 3:30 PM I had vasectomy. I am still experiencing a high level of discomfort which I think was expected but my concern is the location and specific pattern of my bruising. The bruising seems to follow straight up the path of my urethra. I just would like to know if there is cause for concern. I have attached a photo of the bruising on the penis. The photo was taken a few minutes ago, and thus, is the most recent.

Reply:-
Bruising after a vasectomy can extend in any direction from the vasectomy incision site. In this case we see the bruising tracking up the penis along the course of the urethra. Urethral damage has been reported at the time of vasectomy in a few rare instances and this is more likely to happen with a midline incision as compared to bilateral incisions. A urine analysis should be performed to rule out microscopic blood in the urine if no gross blood is seen when urinating. Any blood in the urine should be further evaluated with specialized x-ray tests of the urethra and possibly urethroscopy (endoscopic visualization of the urethra). Blood in the urine would suggest a urethral injury. The appearance of bruising in this picture suggests damage to at least the corpus spongiosum, the vascular structure surrounding the urethra. This can occur without damage to the underlying urethral lumen.

I'm hoping our contributor will let us know how the healing progresses.

Many thanks to our contributor for submitting these pictures and allowing us to use them. If you are having a vasectomy, please consider the idea of taking some pictures during your recovery for us to post, as we feel that it will help men know what is, and isn't normal. We aren't looking for just extreme bruising and swelling picture as above, but also pictures of straightforward vasectomy with normal recovery. As with the above pictures, complete anonymity is guaranteed, and for the purposes of taste and decency, photo's will be edited to be shown in a clinical context. If you are happy to participate, please visit the section index page for photographer's tips and the email address to send your pictures to.

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