Surgical treatment of azoospermia

  In male infertility, azoospermia accounts for about 10-15% of patients, and obstructive azoospermia accounts for 40% of azoospermia. Most hospitals recommend IVF for the treatment of obstructive azoospermia, but the cost of IVF is very expensive and the success rate is about 30-40%, so a considerable part of the population can hardly afford such a huge financial pressure. It is not known that there are a number of obstructive azoospermia that can be treated by surgical procedures. With skilled technique, the success rate of this surgery is high.  Under normal circumstances, sperm produced by the testes are discharged into the urethra through the epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, and ejaculatory ducts, so any obstruction of the vas deferens may cause obstruction of sperm discharge, which is called “obstructive azoospermia”. Infection, congenital abnormalities and trauma can all cause epididymal obstruction, leading to male infertility.  Not all patients with obstructive azoospermia are suitable for surgical treatment. Therefore, patients need to be examined before surgery, focusing on the vas deferens, epididymis, and testes; patients with vas deferens, small testes, and epididymal dysplasia are not suitable for such surgery. Only patients with lesions in the epididymis or lesions in the vas deferens of the scrotal segment may benefit from this type of surgery.  With the improvement of microscopic surgical techniques, the surgical recanalization rate has gradually increased, and currently the reported recanalization rate after surgery can reach about 60%-80%, and the pregnancy rate after recanalization can reach 30%-40%. Men undergoing this procedure receive only one surgical trauma, while IVF men may need multiple traumas for sperm retrieval; spouses do not need to receive hormonal drugs; and both spouses conceive naturally, without the genetic risks that may arise from human intervention. Therefore, it is another useful option for patients with obstructive azoospermia, and even if the sperm tract does not reopen after the procedure for various reasons, it does not affect assisted reproduction in the future.