Clinical experiences of microsurgical side-to-end epididymovasostomy for epididymal obstruction.
BACKGROUND
Some surgical treatments are performed for obstructive azoospermia in urology and good results have been reported. Of 61 azoospermic patients who visited our department of urology, nine were diagnosed as having epididymal obstruction of unknown etiology.


METHODS
We describe nine consecutive side-to-end epididymovasostomy procedures performed on these patients. These procedures are microsurgical two-layer anastomosis.


RESULTS
Of the nine men, five (55.6%) had sperm in the ejaculate postoperatively and, up until publication, the pregnancy rate was 33.3% (three of nine).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that reconstruction of the seminal tract should be considered first for obstructive azoospermia.
Eguchi
J
J
Department of Urology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan. j-eguchi@nagasaki-med.jrc.or.jp
Nomata
K
K
Hirose
T
T
Nishimura
N
N
Igawa
T
T
Kanetake
H
H
Saito
Y
Y
Higami
Y
Y
D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D019160:Endosonography; D004822:Epididymis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012007:Rectum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013733:Testicular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014669:Vasovasostomy / Q000379:methods*