Circulating immune complexes and sperm antibodies following vasectomy in Austrian men

The incidence of circulating immune complexes (CICs) following vasectomy in men and the timing of their appearance and disappearance remain unsettled. A prospective study was initiated to measure CICs and sperm antibody formation in 44 Austrian men undergoing a vasectomy. Using the Raji cell assay, the incidence of CICs was 11% (5 of 44) prior to surgery, 24% (10 of 42) at 2-3 months, 10% (1 of 10) at 4-6 months and 0% (0 of 23) at 15-26 months following surgery. The incidence of sperm antibodies, employing a sperm agglutination assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, was 7% (3 of 44), 17% (9 of 52), 25% (3 of 12) and 27% (3 of 11), at 0, 2-6, 15-20 and 21-26 months following vasectomy, respectively. CICs and sperm antibody levels were not correlated at any time point. These results support previous studies indicating a transient increase in the incidence of CICs, detectable by the Raji cell assay, only at early times following vasectomy.