Table of Contents
- Highlights
- Introduction
- Treatment
- Vasectomy Surgery
- Reversal Surgery (Vasovasostomy and Vasoepididymostomy)
- Resources
- References
- Long-Term Complications
- Reversal Surgery
- Assisted Reproductive Technologies
- Resources
- References
Reversal Surgery (Vasovasostomy and Vasoepididymostomy)
Although men should consider vasectomy a permanent decision, reversal procedures can restore fertility in some men who change their minds. The main reasons for requesting a vasectomy reversal are remarriage or the death of a child.
Vasectomy reversal can also sometimes provide pain relief for some of the small number of men who suffer post-vasectomy pain, but these patients should first be treated with pain management therapies. For men who desire a vasectomy reversal for psychological reasons, counseling is a better option.
Vasovasostomy Reversal Surgery Procedures
There are two types of vasectomy reversal surgical procedures:
- Vasovasostomy. The severed ends of the vas deferens are sewn back together.
- Vasoepididymostomy. The vas deferens is surgically reattached directly to the epididymis. This procedure is more difficult to perform and is used when vasovasostomy cannot be performed or does not work.
These procedures help restore sperm flow so that sperm can be ejaculated out of the urethra. Both types of procedures are performed on an outpatient basis and the patient can return home the same day.
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Review Date: 11/04/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
