vasovasostomy /vas′ōvəsos″təmē/ [L, vas + vas + Gk, stoma, mouth] , a surgical procedure in which the function of the vas deferens on each side of the testes is restored, having been cut and ligated in a preceding vasectomy. The procedure is performed if a man wants to regain his fertility. In most cases the patency of the canals is achieved, but, in many cases, fertility does not result, probably because of circulating autoantibodies that disrupt normal sperm activity. The antibodies apparently develop after vasectomy because the developing sperm cannot be excreted through the urogenital tract. Also called vasectomy reversal.
