The Long‐term Outcome following “Special Clearance” after Vasectomy

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Abstract
Summary –Between 1980 and 1985, 6067 out‐patient vasectomies were performed under local anaesthesia at the Elliot Smith Clinic in Oxford. During this period 151 men (2.5%) were given a “special clearance”. This sanctioned the discontinuation of other forms of contraception despite the persistence of scanty (< 10,000/ml) sperm in 2 consecutively examined semen samples at least 7 months after vasectomy. These men have been reviewed and further specimens of semen requested after a minimum follow‐up of 3 years (range 3–8); 50 patients supplied a specimen and all except 1 were azoospermic. No pregnancies attributable to failure of the vasectomy have been identified.