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Purpose: The conception rate of patients with spinal cord injuries following penile vibratory stimulation and rectal probe electroejaculation in conjunction with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination or assisted reproductive technique is poorly documented. We reviewed our success rates with penile vibratory stimulation and rectal probe electroejaculation, and the pregnancy rates achieved with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination and assisted reproductive techniques., Materials and Methods: A total of 78 consecutive patients with spinal cord injuries had a complete neurological examination and was treated initially with penile vibratory stimulation. If unsuccessful, rectal probe electroejaculation was performed to obtain an ejaculate. The ejaculate was then used with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination or assisted reproductive techniques and pregnancies were monitored., Results: Vibratory stimulation was successful in 20 of 37 patients (54%) with a cervical lesion, 14 of 26 (54%) with a lesion at or above T10 and none of 15 when the lesion was below T10. All patients except 2 who elected followup rectal probe electroejaculation had antegrade or retrograde ejaculate. Six patients (7.7%) with extremely poor semen quality were not candidates for assisted fertilization. Of 27 couples who attempted conception 17 were successful (5 self-insemination, 5 intrauterine insemination and 7 assisted reproductive techniques)., Conclusions: Penile vibratory stimulation should be used as first line therapy in patients with lesions above T10 while rectal probe electroejaculation should be considered as a second option. Motivated patients can achieve success with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination and assisted reproductive techniques.

The frequency and timing of the delayed appearance of sperm following an end-to-side vasoepididymostomy were determined in 89 patients. The surgical patency rate, defined as greater than 1 million sperm in the ejaculate, was 56% (50 of 89 consecutive patients). None of the 7 patients without sperm in the epididymal fluid at the anastomosis had sperm in the ejaculate postoperatively. Of the remaining 82 patients 31 had sperm on initial semen analysis within 3 months postoperatively. Seven of the 51 patients whose initial postoperative semen sample revealed azoospermia were lost to followup. Among the remaining 44 patients 18 (41%) had delayed appearance of sperm in the ejaculate (mean delay 6 months, range 3 to 15). The ultimate mean sperm count and motility in the patients with initially positive postoperative semen samples were not significantly different from those in patients with delayed appearance of sperm. In addition, the delayed anastomotic obstruction for both groups was the same (10% and 11%, respectively). Our results demonstrate that delayed appearance of sperm after end-to-side vasoepididymostomy is common and that the prognosis for patients with delayed appearance of sperm is not significantly worse than that for patients with sperm on the initial semen analysis.

Ten patients who presented for infertility had unilateral absence of the scrotal vas deferens and a contralateral mesonephric duct anomaly, including contralateral ejaculatory duct or epididymal/vasal obstruction. The details of the physical examination, semen analysis and transrectal ultrasound led to an accurate preoperative diagnosis in each case. Therapeutic manipulations appropriate in this group included transurethral resection of the ejaculatory duct, microscopic vasoepididymostomy and microsurgical sperm aspiration coupled with in vitro fertilization. Only 3 patients had ipsilateral renal agenesis or ectopia (30%), which is well below the stated percentage for patients with unilateral vasal agenesis (90%). An aberration in the proper sequence of mesonephric embryological development may partly explain this bilateral constellation of abnormalities.

Various techniques have evolved for augmentation of the tunica albuginea in cases when tunical tissue has been found deficient during penile prosthesis implantation. An intraoperative situation occurred in which the size of the tunical defect did not permit primary tunical closure or allow for approximation by placement of a tunical patch graft. In this case, to ensure satisfactory insertion of a penile prosthesis a polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-Tex) tube graft was used as a circumferential neotunica.

Granulomatous prostatitis is a recognized complication of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin immunotherapy of superficial bladder cancer. Of 32 patients receiving such therapy 13 underwent prostatic core biopsy and/or fine needle aspiration for clinical indications. Prostatic induration or nodularity developed in 12 patients and 1 underwent biopsy for staging of known prostatic carcinoma. Granulomatous prostatitis was found in 100 per cent of those patients who underwent biopsy or aspiration, indicating that the incidence of this finding is at least 41 per cent following bacillus Calmette-Guerin immunotherapy. Acid-fast bacilli were demonstrated within the prostate of 3 patients with granulomatous prostatitis. The mean interval between the initiation of therapy and diagnosis of granulomatous prostatitis was 11.5 months. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin related granulomas of the prostate may be differentiated histologically from nonspecific granulomatous prostatitis, allergic prostatitis and postoperative granulomas. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.