Effects of long- and short-term vasectomy on structural and functional parameters of the rat.

The effects of vasectomy were examined by comparing various parameters from sham operated and vasectomized rats that had undergone surgery at 90 days of age and were killed at 190 or 390 days of age. Significant alterations in the vasectomized rats from sham rats included: testicular and epididymal hypertrophy, formation of pathologic vas deferens granulomas, decreased total serum protein, lowered alpha-globulin levels as shown by serum electrophoresis, and increased sperm agglutinin antibody titers. For vasectomized rats, the differential white blood cell count showed increased numbers of neutrophils and large lymphocytes and decreased numbers of small lymphocytes and basophils. Both the number and extent of many vasectomy-induced alterations were greater in long-term vasectomized than in short-term vasectomized rats.