Patients commonly ask if a microscopic vasectomy reversal is similar to having a vasectomy. The former takes two hours or so to perform and the latter fifteen minutes. This explains why a patient might experience more bruising and swelling with a reversal.
Cutting the vas deferens in two (a vasectomy) is easier than putting it back together (a vasectomy reversal) and is indeed a horse of a different color.
- Vasectomies are covered by insurance-vas reversals are not.
- Because the reversal is not covered by insurance the patient sees, feels, and pays the entire expense of the procedure, the surgeon, the supplies (microscopic suture) and the facility.
- The surgeon fees are relatively high because very few urologists do reversals often or often enough to do well.
- Few urologists are comfortable enough to feel they can do the procedure with a high likelihood of patency (presence of sperm after a vasectomy reversal) and this in turn also limits the number of urologists willing to perform the procedure.
- The identification of the vasectomy site and preparing it for the reversal is something that is comfortable to all urologists. Reanastamosing the inner tubule of the vas…
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Northeast Georgia Urological Associates 