The effect of vasovasostomy upon the structure of the vas deferens in rats.
The reasons for the discrepancy between reappearance of sperm in the ejaculate following vasovasostomy and pregnancy rates remain obscure. To determine the possible adverse effects of reanastomosis upon the structure of the vas deferens, immediate microsurgical vasovasostomy was performed on 60 adult Sprague-Dawley rats. The fine structure of the mucosa, as seen by scanning electron microscopy, showed only subtle, transient changes with return to normal architecture within 3 months. Luminal dilatation, rather than stenosis, was a constant late finding. It is concluded that microsurgical reanastomosis has little, if any, permanent deleterious effect upon the structure of the vas deferens.
D000818:Animals; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors; D014649:Vas Deferens / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000648:ultrastructure