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Medical Author:

Theodore V Benderev, MD

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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The entire procedure usually takes about 10-20 minutes.

• The patient will be asked to change into a gown and lie on the examination table. The incision site will be washed, shaved, and sterilized, usually with an iodine solution. Sterile drapes will be placed over the patient to guard against infection.
• A local anesthetic is administered via a small needle. Some physicians avoid using a needle by utilizing a jet spray device to achieve the full local anesthesia (no-needle anesthesia).
• One or two small opening(s) are made in the scrotum. Either the right or left vas deferens is lifted through this opening. The vas is cut, and a section may be removed. A slight pulling sensation may be noticed during this process.
• The two ends of the vas are cauterized (heat sealed), tied, or clipped before being returned to the scrotum.
• The opposite vas deferens is then lifted through the opening for the same procedure.
• The remaining opening can heal with closure by stitches or naturally without stitches.

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