No-scalpel Vasectomies May Speed Up Recovery

Two studies done on the effects of traditional and new no-scalpel vasectomy showed conflicting results and therefore there are still no definite conclusions about the superiority of one of these procedures.

No-scalpel vasectomies, a birth control option for men, are preferred by the physicians and claimed to cause less bleeding, bruising, infection and pain.
However, the training may not be always available and many traditional doctors may not have a desire to learn the new technique.

In vasectomy, a surgical form of birth control, a duct known as the vas is cut or tied, by making an incision in the skin of the scrotum. Cutting or tying the vas, which carries sperm from the testicles, leaves a man infertile. The new, no-scalpel technique uses a sharp instrument to puncture the skin. The puncture is usually so small that it does not require stitches.

A larger study was conducted in 1999 and included 1,429 men in five countries: Brazil, Guatemala, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. All eight physicians — general surgeons and urologists — had experience with the standard vasectomy technique and three had experience with the no-scalpel method. Inexperienced surgeons received training in the no-scalpel technique. Men who received no-scalpel vasectomies had less bleeding, bruising, infection and pain during surgery and follow-up, their surgeries lasted shorter and a shorter recovery with a quicker resumption of postoperative sexual activity was seen.

A smaller study conducted in Denmark included 100 participants. None of the eight doctors had substantial experience in the no-scalpel technique. Training was limited to an instructional video and one supervised procedure. Only one surgeon performed more than 10 no-scalpel vasectomies in the trial. The results from this study showed no difference in postoperative results between the two techniques but this could be due to the small numbers of participants and the lack of experience that participating doctors had in the no-scalpel technique.

Both techniques were found to be equally effective in providing permanent fertility control.

Experts claim that the no-scalpel methodology is the preferable method to use, as it has lower rate of adverse events but the problem is that these procedures require more training and a higher level of skill. They are warning men seeking a vasectomy to ask about the surgeon’s experience and where they received their trainings.