Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 02/17/2009
The purpose of a vasovasostomy is to restore a man's fertility, whereas a vasectomy, or male sterilization, is performed to provide reliable contraception (birth control). Research indicates that the level of effectiveness in preventing pregnancy is...
99.6%. Vasectomy is the most reliable method of contraception and has less risk of complications and a faster recovery time than female sterilization methods.
In many cases, a vasectomy can be reversed. Vasectomy reversal does not, however, guarantee a successful pregnancy. The longer the time elapsed since a man has had a vasectomy, the more difficult the reversal and the lower the success rate. The rate of sperm return if a vasovasostomy is performed within three years of a vasectomy is 97%; this number decreases to 88% three to eight years after vasectomy, 79% by nine to 14 years, and 71% after 15 years. In addition, other factors affect the success rate of vasectomy reversal, including the age of the female partner, her fertility potential, the method of reversal used, and the experience of the surgeon performing the procedure.
Vasovasostomies are also performed in men who are sterile because of genital tract obstructions rather than prior vasectomies. A vasovasostomy may also be performed on occasion to relieve pain associated with post-vasectomy pain syndrome.
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Vasovasostomy (literally connection of the vas to the vas) is the surgery by which vasectomies are reversed in males.
It can be performed in the convoluted or straight portion of the vas deferens.
Vasovasostomy is typically an out-patient procedure (patient goes home the same day).
The medical term used to describe the reversal procedure is called vasovasostomy (a form of microsurgery first performed by Earl Owen in 1971). The physician can reconnect the sperm canal by performing a vas-to-vas connection (vasovasostomy). The term Vasectomy Reversal (vasovasostomy) is the process of reconnecting the tubes (vas deferens ) that were cut during a vasectomy Vasectomy reversal is usually an outpatient procedure without an overnight stay.
The procedure is typically performed by urologists. Most urologists specializing in the field of male infertility perform vasovasostomies using an operative microscope for magnification, under general or regional anesthesia.
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As a urologist, I've found it's easier to do the PSA test and then sit down with the patient and say here's what the results mean for you. Given what we know right now, that seems a very sensible approach.
-Dr. Evan Vapnek
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