622 CHAPTER 16 Urological surgery and equipment
This is a penile straightening procedure for correcting penile curvature. Wait for at least 6 months after the patient has experienced no more pain, and wait for the penile curvature to stabilize (there is no point in repairing the curvature if it is still progressing).
Indications
This procedure can used in Peyronie’s disease for men with deformity who still obtain rigid erections.
Anesthesia
Local or general anesthetic can be used.
Postoperative care
The patient should avoid intercourse for 2 months. Edema can be managed with cold compresses.
Procedure-specific consent form—recommended discussion of adverse events
Serious or frequently occurring complications
Common
•Some mild shortening of the penis
•Possible dissatisfaction with the cosmetic or functional result
•Temporary swelling and bruising of the penis and scrotum
Occasional
•Circumcision is sometimes required as part of the procedure.
•There is no guarantee of total correction of the bend.
•Bleeding or infection may require further treatment.
Rare
•Impotence or difficulty maintaining an erection
•Nerve injury with temporary or permanent numbness of penis
Alternative treatment includes observation, drugs, and other surgical procedures plication and graft procedures.
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624 CHAPTER 16 Urological surgery and equipment
Vasectomy
This is the removal of a section of the vas deferens from each side with the aim of achieving infertility.
Indications: a method of birth control
Anesthesia: local or general
Postoperative care and common postoperative complications and their management
Postoperative hematoma can occur. If large, evacuation may be required. Infection can occur, but is usually superficial.
Two semen samples are required, usually at 10 and 12 weeks postvasectomy, before unprotected intercourse can take place. Viable sperm can remain distal to the site of vasectomy (in the distal vas deferens or seminal vesicles) for some weeks after vasectomy, and even longer.
Occasionally, a persistently positive semen analysis is an indication that the vas was not correctly identified at the time of surgery and has not been ligated (or, very rarely, that there were two vas deferens on one side). The potential for fertility remains in those with positive semen analysis, and re-exploration is indicated. Warn the patient that the vas deferens can later recanalize, thereby restoring fertility.
Sperm granuloma is a hard, pea-sized lump in the region of the cut ends of the vas, forming as a result of an inflammatory response to sperm leaking out of the proximal cut end of the vas. It can be a cause of persistent pain, in which case it may have to be excised or evacuated and the vas cauterized or re-ligated.
Vasovasostomy
This is vasectomy reversal.
Anesthesia
This tends to be done under general or spinal anesthesia, as it takes far longer than a vasectomy.
Postoperative care and common postoperative complications and their management
They are much the same as for vasectomy. The patient should avoid sexual intercourse for 2 weeks or so.
Vasectomy: procedure-specific consent form— recommended discussion of adverse events
Serious or frequently occurring complications
Common
•Irreversible
•Small amount of scrotal bruising
•Two semen samples are required before unprotected intercourse, both of which must show no spermatozoa.
VASECTOMY AND VASOVASOSTOMY 625
Occasional
• Bleeding requiring further surgery or bruising
Rare
•Inflammation or infection of testis or epididymis, requiring antibiotics
•Rejoining of vas ends resulting in fertility and pregnancy (1 in 2000)
•Chronic testicular pain (5%) or sperm granuloma
Alternative treatment is other forms of contraception (male or female).
Vasovasostomy: procedure-specific consent form— recommended discussion of adverse events
Serious or frequently occurring complications
Common
•Small amount of scrotal bruising
•No guarantee that sperm will return to semen
•Sperm may return but pregnancy is not always achieved
•If storing sperm, check that appropriate forms have been filled out
Occasional
• Bleeding requiring further surgery
Rare
•Inflammation or infection of testes or epididymis, requiring antibiotics
•Chronic testicular pain (5%) or sperm granuloma
Alternative therapy includes IVF, sperm aspiration, and ICSI.
626 CHAPTER 16 Urological surgery and equipment
Indications
There are two types—radical orchiectomy and simple orchiectomy.
Radical (inguinal) orchiectomy
This is done for excision of testicular cancer. This approach is used for three reasons:
•To allow ligation of the testicular lymphatics as high as possible as they pass in the spermatic cord and through the internal inguinal ring, thereby removing any cancer cells that might have started to metastasize along the cord.
•To allow cross-clamping of the cord prior to manipulation of the testis which, theoretically at least, could promote dissemination of cancer cells along the lymphatics (In reality, this probably doesn’t occur.)
•To prevent the potential for dissemination of tumor cells into the lymphatics that drain the scrotal skin that could occur if a scrotal approach is used. These lymphatics drain to inguinal nodes. Thus, direct spread of tumor to scrotal skin and violation of another lymphatic field (the groin nodes) is avoided. Historically, this was important because the only adjuvant therapy for metastatic disease was radiotherapy. The morbidity of groin and scrotal irradiation was not inconsiderable (severe skin reactions to radiotherapy, irradiation of femoral artery and nerve).
Obtain serum markers before surgery (A-fetoprotein, B-hCG, and lactic acid dehydrogenase [LDH]) and get a CXR. A full staging CT scan can wait until after surgery. If the contralateral testis has been removed or is small, offer sperm storage—there is usually time to do this.
Warn the patient that, very occasionally, what appears clinically and on ultrasound to be a malignant testis tumor turns out to be a benign tumor on subsequent histological examination.
Simple orchiectomy
This is done for hormonal control of advanced prostate cancer, via a scrotal incision, with ligation and division of the cord and complete removal of the testis and epididymis.
Alternatively, a subcapsular orchiectomy may be done, where the tunica of the testis is incised and the seminiferous tubules contained within are excised. There is the potential with this approach to leave a small number of Leydig cells that can continue to produce testosterone.
Anesthesia
Local, regional, and general anesthesia can be used. Few men will require or opt for local anesthetic.