The real question in this situation is “Has the man had his sperm count checked after the vasectomy or recently?” Vasectomies have been know to fail on rare occasions. The Vasclip procedure was a procedure done for vasectomy in the past and is no longer available. A recent study done on the Vasclip has shown that 25% of men will still have little channels through which sperm can travel even after the procedure. Recently, a new company caleed Pro-Vas is trying to market a similar type of occlussive device for perfoming vasectomies. The company does NOT have any clinical data to support their claim that the procedure is any more effective than the Vasclip and only received FDA approval because of its similarity to the VasClip procedure. I would caution men about this procedure until there is clinical data available to review that shows this device to be effective as a sterilization procedure.

The statistical probability of getting a 47 year old woman pregnant is extremely low, but not zero so we can never tell a man or woman that they do not need to use protection while having sexual intercourse. The best recommendation to any man who is concerned about his fertility potential after a vasectomy is to get his semen analyzed with a pelleted sample to determine his ability to get someone pregnant. This test is not expensive, is available at any laboratory and results are known within 24 hours.

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The type of vasectomy performed rarely limits our options at the time of vasectomy reversal. The only limitation to vasectomy reversal surgery is when large segments of the vas deferens are removed at the time of vasectomy by aggressive vasectomy surgeons. Laser vasectomy is still performed by only a few surgeons around the country. There is no proven benefit for using a laser during the vasectomy procedure and some surgeons use it as a marketing gimmick to attract men to get their vasectomy done at their center.

Keloids and hypertrophic scars do occur in some men and are more commonly seen in men with darker skin. I am not aware of any relationship between keloid type scarring of the skin and worse outcomes during vasectomy reversal. Men who form keloids and hypertrophic scars do need to be aware of the fact that their skin incision might show some scarring greater than a man that doesn’t form these types of scars. I would probably recommend that men who are prone to scarring be given a course of strong anti-inflammatory medications in the early post-operative period.

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The attached photograph appears to be that of a relatively normal healing process for a vasectomy procedure. The size of the incision is a little generous, but otherwise looks normal for 6 days after surgery. The nice thing about operating on the scrotum is that it is a very forgiving area of skin and most scars will not be apparent after a period of time.

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Hello. I think the website is an excellent source of information, but had 2 quick questions.

I also had a question on the titanium clips. It seems odd that they place them on the vas, then just let everything slide back in. isn’t there a risk that those clips might bump up against a teste or something?

The purpose of wearing masks during any surgical procedure is as much for the protection of the surgeon from bodily fluids as it is for the patient. That said, I don’t know of any studies that have shown that when surgeons wear a mask during the vasectomy procedure that the risk of infection is lower than if they didn’t wear a mask. The infection rate during vasectomy procedures is incredibly low to begin with (1%) and, therefore, most surgeons wear a mask based on their own preferences.

Tight fitting underwear or a scrotal support are encouraged for use immediately after the vasectomy procedure for patient comfort and to minimize any hematoma formation. Minimizing the movement of the testes and scrotum after the procedure decreases patient discomfort. Compression of the scrotum and surgical site can help reduce swelling and/or hematoma formation after the procedure. The scrotum has a large potential space and any slight ooze can accumulate into a lot of fluid if left unopposed. A golden rule in medicine is that all bleeding stops with direct pressure to the bleeding site.

The vasectomy procedure is performed on the vas deferens in the spermatic cord located above the testicle. Theoretically, anything can happen, but practically we do not get any complaints from patients that they feel the clips rubbing or touching other structures in the scrotum. Patients have reported that they can palpated the clips through the scrotal wall if they poke around down there. Titanium clips have been used extensively by vasectomy surgeons for many years because of their effectiveness, reliability and lack of side effects.

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I do not recommend excising unnecessarily large portions of the vas deferens during the vasectomy procedure. There are no studies showing that the larger the segment excised makes for a more reliable procedure. In fact, the most efficacious way of performing a vasectomy is to cauterize the ends of the vas deferens. This has been shown to be even more effective than cutting or tying the ends of the vas deferens alone. Most vasectomy surgeons employ several of these techniques during the procedure to ensure a successful vasectomy. With the lack of any advantage in terms of vasectomy effectiveness and the increased difficulty it makes for elective vasectomy reversal, should the need arise, I do not recommend excising unnecessarily large segments of the vas deferens during the vasectomy procedure.

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Performing a vasectomy on a man with previous scrotal surgery, regardless of the type of scrotal surgery, is a more complicated procedure than in a man without previous surgery. I would definitely recommend having the procedure done with a surgeon who specializes in performing vasectomies. Most men can still undergo a traditional vasectomy in the office under local anesthesia even in the setting of previous scrotal surgery. Patient anxiety can be overwhelming and necessitate having the procedure done at a surgery center with deeper anesthesia. In men who have concerns about needles near the scrotum, thay can have a no-needle technique performed using a MadaJet instrument to deliver the local anesthesia. I have also given patients anxiety reducing medications prior to the operation when necessary. If all else fails, relying on some alternative form of contraception might be the only answer.

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Studies have shown that out of all the known techniques for performing vasectomy, cauterization has the lowest risk of failure. Combination techniques that excise a segment of the vas deferens, ligate the ends and cauterize the ends have the highest success rates.

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Please let me know what you think.

Unless the patient is missing a vas deferens on the side in which the vein was cut, sperm will most likely be present in the semen analysis. I think that performing pathologic evaluations on the vas deferens sample is a good idea and helps identify a problem with the procedure immediately, if one exists. That said, I have never had a surprising result such as the one mentioned above. However, I have heard of other physicians encountering the same problem. It is difficult to confuse a vein for the vas deferens as the consistency of the two structures is quite different but can occur with less experienced surgeons. The only consequence of cutting the vein instead of the vas deferens should be that the vasectomy will not work and will need to be re-done. We routinely cut/ligate the spermatic cord veins during varicocelectomy procedures in order to improve testicular health. If the vasectomy works, then it is because you are missing a vas deferens on that side.

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It appears that the metal object in the attached pictures is a titanium clip like the ones we use for occluding the ends of the vas deferens at the time of surgery. In this case, it almost appears that the surgeon used the clip to close the wound. Clip migration out of the wound is a rare occurence and usually happens later after the surgical procedure than 2 days.

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My boyfriend had a laser vasectomy in January of this year. Are laser vasectomies reversable?

Are there any other ways to become pregnant without having a reversal? I know your article/responses explain procedures for reversal, but I was not sure whether they are in reference to the older style of vasectomy (clamping?) or all? Thank you for your time in advance.

The type of vasectomy performed does not make any difference on reversal success rates. All vasectomies are based on the same concept that the vasal lumen should be permanently occluded. Laser vasectomies are no different. Likewise, vasectomy reversal success is independent on the technique used for occlusion of the vas deferens. There is no evidence supporting an advantage in the use of a laser for vasectomy procedures.

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