| Objective: To study the histological changes of the rete testis after vasectomy in rats, thus clarifying the mechanism of vasectomy-induced damage to spermatogenesis.Methods: 12 male Sprague-Dawley rats(aged 10-11 weeks) were subjected to unilateral(left or right, randomly selected) vasectomy, with the position of vasal ligation away from the epididymal tail and scrotal sac. 37 days after operation, bilateral testes were removed. Each testis was first sliced into 6 pieces, perpendicular to the long axis, and each piece was further cut into 2 blocks. All blocks were embedded in methacrylate resin for preparation of sections. Histological observation was carried out and the mean width and total volume of the rete testis were quantitatively studied using stereological methods.Results: In the 12 rats, the mean width of the rete on the vasectomized side increased by 66.1%±29.4% in comparison with the non-vasectomized side(paired t-test: P = 0.038), but the total volume of the rete was unchanged. Marked damage to spermatogenesis in the testis on the vasectomized side was not seen in 7 of the rats, but was seen in the other 5 rats; these 2 subgroups being separately analyzed, the rete width increased by 64%-67% on the vasectomized side although statistical significance was not detected(P > 0.16).Conclusion: Vasectomy in the rat will increase the width of the rete testis suggesting a stasis of the testicular fluid and an increase in the intra-seminiferous tubule pressure. This supports the pressure-mediated mechanism of vasectomy-induced spermatogenic damage. |
PDF Full Text Request