Intratubular hydrostatic pressure in testis and epididymis before and after vasectomy

Abstract

A method is described for the measurement of intratubular hydrostatic pressure in the testis, caput epididymidis, and cauda epididymidis of the golden hamster. Pressures in these locations in normal animals ranged from 3 to 6 cmH2O. Mean pressure in the tubules of the caput was significantly higher than that in the seminiferous tubules (P smaller than 0.05) and in the proximal caudal tubules (P smaller than 0.02). There was a small, significant increase in pressure from the proximal cauda to the distal cauda (P smaller than 0.04). Two weeks after vasectomy, the mean pressure in the seminiferous tubules of 3.3 cmH2O was significantly lower (P smaller than 0.004) than the mean pressure in the normal seminiferous tubules of 4.4 cmH2O. Pressures in the cauda at 2 wk of 10-18 cmH2O were significantly greater than normal (P smaller than 0.0005) and reflected the accumulation of sperm and fluid. The high incidence of spermatic granuloma formation and/or rupture of the epididymis observed after vasectomy emphasized that there are definite limits to both distensibility and reabsorptive capacity of the epididymis in some species. Pressures at 1 mo after vasectomy were similar to those at 2 wk in animals that were still obstructed and comparable to normal in animals with granulomas and/or large epididymal leaks. Testicular weight was slightly but significantly decreased 2 wk after vasectomy. At 4 wk, there was no detectable effect of vasectomy on the weights of the testes.

Intraluminal pressures in the seminiferous tubules and in different regions of the epididymis in the rat

“…Since intraluminal pressures in 3 adjacent tubules in each area of the epididymis were not different in 10 rats, only one measurement was made at each site in the later experiments. Preliminary measurements of intraluminal pressure in the testis and the epididymis of hamsters confirmed those previously reported by Johnson & Howards (1975).…”

Evaluation and Management of Chronic Scrotal Content Pain

“…While pain may develop immediately after vasectomy, the mean time to chronic pain onset has been reported to be 2 years [25,26]. Animal and human studies have shown that following vasectomy, proximal vasal and epididymal tubule pressures increase, which may be responsible for pain [27]. It has also been shown that electrical signals that propagate caudally along the vas deferens are interrupted by vasectomy and cause a functional obstruction pattern.…”

The Effects of Ligation of Vas Deferens, Corpus Epididymidis and Vasa Efferentia on the Testicular Function in Rats

“…Recently, Johnson and Howards (1975) measured intratubular hydrostatic pressure in seminiferous tubules after vasectomy and concluded that a decline in spermatogenesis and/or fluid secretion was not the direct results of increased pressure in the seminiferous tubules or caput epididymidis. In spite of their findings, the possibility of the hydrostatic effect on the testis cannot be excluded , because they observed a significant decrease in testicular weight at the same time .…”

“…vas deferens; corpus epididymidis; vasa efferentia; testicular function Vasectomy has been generally accepted as a safe procedure in male contracep tions and used widely in the world as a means of population control. In recent years several reports have directed an attention to the relationship between an accumulation of the sperm in the ductal system and testicular function (Horan 1973(Horan , 1975Johnson and Howards 1975;Kuwahara and Frick 1975). Horan (1975) has shown in his animal experiments that epididymal stasis of the sperm caused testi cular atrophy, and when the stasis was dominant, testicular effects were invariably seen.…”