About the no-scalpel vasectomy.

The No-Needle injector or ‘hypospray’ delivers a fine jet of Marcaine freezing right through the scrotal skin into the vas and surrounding tissues. The sensation is like a mild snap of an elastic band against the skin. It requires only 1/10th the volume of anesthetic compared with the old needle method so there is less tissue distension and less risk of bleeding. Also, it is a proven medical fact that men prefer to have needles kept as far away from their scrotums as possible!

The “No-Scalpel” part refers to the technique of getting to the vas at the front of the scrotum using two small surgical instruments developed in China in 1974. There are no knives, scalpels, lasers or other hi-tech gizmos involved. It is “minimally invasive” so there is less trauma to the tissues. The single tiny hole created in the skin is 2 to 3 mm long and serves for access to both right and left vas tubes.

Here’s how the no-scalpel procedure works:

    1. You lie down on your back.
    2. The scrotum is cleansed with a colorless antiseptic solution (no messy iodine!) Local anesthetic is administered via ‘hypospray’ injector (no needle!) It freezes the skin and each vas. All you feel is a quick “flick” against the skin.
    3. Once the freezing takes effect the first vas is isolated and grasped with a small ring clamp, holding it to the skin.
    4. A tiny puncture is made over the left vas with a fine tipped surgical instrument, then stretched open about 2-3 mm. The vas is grasped and a small segment is gently pulled through the skin opening.
    5. The left vas is then divided leaving two ends. Both ends are cauterized. The top end is sewn with dissolving stitch material into the next layer of tissue to permanently separate it from the lower end. (Thus the two ends can no longer see each other. This is called fascial interposition.) The ends are placed back into the scrotum.  Then the same thing is done for the right vas through the same opening.
    6. Your supportive underwear is put back on with a gauze pad inside and the procedure is over.

TIME ELAPSED: 10 minutes

TOTAL APPOINTMENT TIME: 30 minutes