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Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Mar 10;17(5):1788.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17051788.

Incidence of Post-Vasectomy Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Austin B Auyeung  1 , Anas Almejally  1 , Fahad Alsaggar  1 , Frank Doyle  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Incidence of Post-Vasectomy Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Austin B Auyeung et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to ascertain incidences of post-vasectomy pain following traditional scalpel, or non-scalpel vasectomy. Electronic databases PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO were searched up to 1 July 2019 for peer-reviewed articles recording post-vasectomy pain. We identified 733 publications, screened 559 after removal of duplicates and excluded 533. Of the remaining 26 full-text articles, 8 were excluded with reasons, leaving 18 for detailed analyses. Meta-analysis was performed on 25 separate datasets (11 scalpel, 11 non-scalpel, 3 other/combined). Study follow-up ranged from 2 weeks to 37 years and sample sizes from 12 to 723 patients. The overall incidence of post-vasectomy pain was 15% (95% CI 9% to 25%). The incidences of post-vasectomy pain following scalpel and non-scalpel techniques were 24% (95% CI 15% to 36%) and 7% (95% CI 4% to 13%), respectively. Post-vasectomy pain syndrome occurred in 5% (95% CI 3% to 8%) of subjects, with similar estimates for both techniques. We conclude that the overall incidence of post-vasectomy pain is greater than previously reported, with three-fold higher rates of pain following traditional scalpel, compared to non-scalpel vasectomy, whereas the incidence of post-vasectomy pain syndrome is similar.

Keywords: meta-analysis; non-scalpel; pain; post-vasectomy pain syndrome; scalpel; systematic review; vasectomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram outlining study selection for incisional scalpel vasectomy and non-scalpel vasectomy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Results of meta-analysis (forest plot) for scalpel and non-scalpel post-vasectomy pain. Legend: ES = effect size, NSV = non-scalpel vasectomy.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results of meta-analysis (forest plot) for scalpel and non-scalpel post-vasectomy pain syndrome (PVPS). Legend: ES = effect size, NSV = non-scalpel vasectomy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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