No-scalpel vasectomy outside China.

Since 1985, the no-scalpel vasectomy technique has been widely used outside China. The prevalence of this technique has helped to increase the acceptability of male sterilization in many parts of the world. More than 5000 physicians in twenty-five developing countries have been trained in the no-scalpel vasectomy technique. In the United States in 1995, nearly one third of vasectomies employed the no-scalpel technique, and in the whole Northern American region, a total of 1100 doctors have been made familiar with the technique. Doctors believe that there are several advantages of the no-scalpel technique, including no incision, no stitches, faster procedure, faster recovery, less chance of bleeding, less discomfort and high efficacy. The key steps of the technique include fixation of the vas and infiltration anaesthesia of the spermatic cord, as well as grasping, delivering and isolating the vas. No-scalpel technique provides a good approach to expose the vas, in conjunction with which, different vas-end occlusion methods may be used.