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A case of congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens
Authors Mo B, Garla V, Wyner LM
Received 22 November 2012
Accepted for publication 7 January 2013
Published 15 April 2013 Volume 2013:6 Pages 21—23
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/IMCRJ.S40611
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 7
Bi Mo,1 Vishnu Garla,2 Lawrence M Wyner1
1Department of Surgery, 2Department of Internal Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA
Background: Congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens occurs in 0.5%–1.0% of males. It has been associated with various genitourinary abnormalities, including renal agenesis. We report a case of congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens found incidentally during vasectomy in a patient with known unilateral renal agenesis.
Case presentation: A 24-year-old male presented to our urology clinic requesting vasectomy. His past history was significant for left renal agenesis. Following successful right vasectomy, several attempts to locate the left vas deferens were unsuccessful. We diagnosed congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens. Follow-up semen analysis showed azoospermia.
Conclusion: As vasectomies are increasingly performed in outpatient settings, it is imperative that physicians be aware of this condition, which can be recognized by a simple physical exam. Recognition could prevent unnecessary surgery and prompt providers to investigate for associated abnormalities.
Keywords: vas deferens, embryology, abnormalities, surgery
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