The procedure starts with the administration of local anesthesia, to numb the genitals. This allows the patient to remain awake and alert during the procedure, but unable to feel the surgery. In some cases, a new technology, the needleless injection, is used to administer the anesthetic in this sensitive area. Your doctor may or may not have this new system available for use during surgery.
Once the genital area is numbed, the area will be shaved and the skin prepared with a solution that kills bacteria on the surface of the skin. Once the solution dries, the surgery begins with 1 or 2 half-inch long incisions on the underside of the scrotum. The vas deferens, the cord that carries sperm, is then located and either cut and tied off or cut and cauterized. Research shows that the use of cautery is the most effective, as it prevents the vas deferens from healing back together.
The incision is then closed with sutures, which can be removed at the surgeon’s office in a week to ten days.
