OBJECTIVES. To evaluate the efficacy of microsurgical vasoepididymostomy for patients with obstructive azoospermia attending our institutions.

DESIGN. Retrospective study.

SETTING. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary and Tung Wah hospitals, Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. All patients with obstructive azoospermia due to epididymal obstruction who had undergone microsurgical vasoepididymostomy in the study hospitals from July 2001 to November 2007.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Causes of epididymal obstruction, operative techniques, patency rates, and pregnancy outcomes of their female partners.

RESULTS. Twenty-two patients with obstructive azoospermia due to epididymal obstruction had undergone 23 microsurgical vasoepididymostomy procedures. The mean age of patients and their female partners was 36 and 30 years, respectively. Six procedures were performed by the Berger's triangulation intussusception technique and 17 by Marmar or Chan's two-suture intussusception techniques. The mean operating time of unilateral and bilateral procedures was 164 and 203 minutes, respectively. The median follow-up duration was 15 months. The overall patency rate was 57%; being 50% and 64% for unilateral and bilateral procedures, respectively. The patency rate of patients with epididymal fluid positive for sperm was 71%. The mean best sperm count was 23.1 million/mL, with forward motility of 19% and normal morphology of 7%. The overall paternity rate was 32%. Natural pregnancy was achieved in three cases and assisted reproduction was used in four.

CONCLUSIONS. Microsurgical intussusception vasoepididymostomy is a viable option for couples with male factor infertility due to obstructive azoospermia. Reasonable patency outcomes were achieved in the present series of cases. Individualised counselling, with expectations based on anticipated surgical outcomes, should be offered to couples before resorting to assisted reproduction.

Key words: Anastomosis, surgical; Azoospermia; Epididymis; Microsurgery; Vasovasostomy

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