title: Clinical experiences of microsurgical side-to-end epididymovasostomy for epididymal obstruction.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan. j-eguchi@nagasaki-med.jrc.or.jp
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Igawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanetake
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higami
mesh_terms: 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*