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There is no incision. |
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There are no stitches. |
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The procedure is faster. |
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The procedure is an office procedure. (No cranky hospital nurses to make fun of you) |
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There are fewer complications. (A 10-fold reduction) |
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There is less discomfort. |
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There is a faster recovery. |
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It is just as effective as conventional vasectomy. |
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No scalpel vasectomy is different from a conventional vasectomy in the way the doctor gets to the tubes and the improved method of local anesthesia helps make the procedure much less painful.
In a conventional vasectomy, after the scrotum has been numbed with a local anesthetic, the doctor makes two small cuts in the skin of the scrotum and lifts out each tube in turn, cutting and blocking them so the sperm cannot reach the penis. The doctor then stitches these two cuts closed.
In no scalpel vasectomy, the doctor freezes the skin and the nerves to the vas deferens ("the tubes"), then feels for these tubes under the skin and holds them in place with a small clamp. Instead of making two incisions, the doctor makes a single tiny puncture with a special instrument called a dissecting forceps. The same instrument is then used to gently stretch the opening so the tubes can be reached and lifted out. The tubes are then blocked by cutting, cauterizing (like welding them shut) and then applying two titanium clips. The tubes are then released back into the scrotum. There is very little bleeding with the no scalpel technique (maybe a drop). There are no stitches needed to close the tiny opening and the procedure is done in the quiet, comfortable procedure room of my clinic.
Although conventional vasectomies have been around since the late 1700's, the no scalpel vasectomy, invented by a Chinese surgeon Dr. Li Shunqiang in 1974, has been used throughout China and North America on millions of men. It was introduced into the United States in 1988 and into Canada in 1992 (I learned this procedure in 1992). It is thought by many to be an improvement on an otherwise excellent procedure providing permanent birth control for men (and therefore couples) desiring this option.
The bottom line is that this procedure is better because men like it better. They heal up quicker with fewer complications and are back to work and sports sooner and, we can do it in the clinic as opposed to the hospital.
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