Microsurgical vasectomy reversal

Things change; about 16% of men who undergo a vasectomy later wish the procedure could be reversed.

A vasectomy causes sterilisation by cutting and tying off a section of the tube (vas) that carries sperms from each testicle.

Vas reversal surgery reconnects the two ends of the vas to allow sperms to flow freely again. The vas tube is only 3mm across with a thick muscular wall and so the internal diameter is less than 0.5 mm, only twice the diameter of a human hair.

Some surgeons undertake reversal surgery with the naked eye alone or magnifying glasses. We utilise a Zeiss operating microscope, typically used by eye surgeons and plastic surgeons. Using the microscope allows more accurate placing of extra-fine reconnecting stitches to maximise the chances of success. This approach is recommended in the European Urology Association Guidelines (2012).

In the years following vasectomy the testes slowly lose the ability to make functioning sperms, so one factor predicting success is a short time interval between initial vasectomy and the reversal.

he surgery typically lasts 2h 30mins under a general anaesthetic, patients are able to go home later that day.

The initial consultation fee is £190 at which point a date for surgery is arranged if desired. The Duchy hospital offers a fixed price package for all costs during the hospital stay of about £3000. This incluses semen sample analysis 6 (+/- 12) weeks after surgery to determine if sperms are present.

http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information/directory/v/vasectomy-reversal