Vasectomy illustrated.

Vasectomy is the most effective form of male sterilisation and is performed worldwide by urologists, general surgeons and family practitioners [ 1 ] . Various techniques for vasectomy have been described, but the underlying principle is to remove a satisfactory segment of the vas deferens, followed by closure of the proximal and distal ends, to ensure that the patient achieves azoospermia whilst minimising the chances for late re-canalisation. Importantly, whilst vasectomy is widely recognised as a very cost-effective form of male sterilisation, it has been implicated as one of the fi ve most common procedures after which litigation may result [ 2 ] .