Retrograde vasal sperm aspiration in anejaculatory patients with spinal cord injury.

Abstract

Aim: This paper describes our experience with retrograde vasal sperm aspiration (ReVSA) in anejaculatory patients with spinal cord injury. Methods: We performed 11 vasal sperm aspiration procedures on eight patients presenting with neurogenic anejaculation associated with spinal cord injury at our institute between 2004 and 2007. This procedure was conducted under local anesthesia with a spermatic block. A 24G needle was inserted into the vas in a retrograde fashion. Sperm-washing medium was gently injected into the proximal vas several times and collected. Aspirated sperm was cryopreserved for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Results: Adequate motile sperm was obtained from all patients. All couples underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection; clinical pregnancies were achieved in eight cases (two ongoing pregnancies and the births of six healthy babies). Conclusion: Retrograde vasal sperm aspiration is a reliable method for the consistent recovery of sperm of sufficient quality to afford a high pregnancy rate and in sufficient quantity to permit cryopreservation of excess sperm for future use. (Reprod Med Biol 2008; 7: 115-118).