Randomized clinical trial of an absorbable stent for vasectomy reversal

More successful methods of vasectomy reversal would benefit those undergoing this treatment and might also increase the popularity of vasectomy. We conducted a randomized, prospective clinical trial of vasectomy reversal methods, comparing a new absorbable stent with 2-layer reattachment.

We studied 116 men seeking vasectomy reversal between November 1990 and March 1994. Data were analyzed primarily by intention to treat.

Patients in the stent (64 cases) and no stent (52) randomized groups were similar in age distribution, age of spouses, years since vasectomy, proportion who had undergone prior vasectomy reversal and proportion who had previously achieved pregnancy. Operation time was more than 19 minutes shorter in the stent randomized group (p = 0.006). Fewer patients in the stent than the no stent group had patent vasovasostomies (81.0 versus 89.6%, respectively, p = 0.2) postoperatively. Fewer stent randomized patients had motile sperm (76.2 versus 81.3%, respectively, p = 0.5) and normal total motile sperm counts (49.2 versus 52.1%, respectively, p = 0.8) than did those without a stent. Conception occurred in 22 and 51% of all couples in the stent and no stent groups. The relative risk of conception among those in the stent group was 0.42 (95% confidence interval 0.24 to 0.71, p = 0.002). A Mantel-Cox log-rank test comparing pregnancies in each group according to the number of postoperative months revealed that the no stent group achieved more earlier pregnancies (p = 0.003).

The 2-layer microscopic vasovasostomy results in greater pregnancy rates than vasovasostomy using the absorbable stent.