Reply #13: "What is different about a no-scalpel vasectomy?"

[ott]

No-scalpel vasectomy is different from a conventional vasectomy in the way the doctor gets to the tubes. In addition, an improved method of anesthesia helps make the procedure less painful.

In a conventional vasectomy, after the scrotum has been numbed with a local anesthetic, the doctor makes one or two small cuts in the skin and lifts out each tube in turn, cutting and blocking them so the sperm cannot reach the semen. Then the doctor stitches the cuts closed.

In a no-scalpel vasectomy, the doctor feels for the tubes under the skin and holds them in place with a small clamp. Instead of making two incisions, the doctor makes one tiny puncture with a special instrument. The same instrument is used to gently stretch the opening so the tubes can be reached. The tubes are then blocked using the same methods as conventional vasectomy. There is very little bleeding with the no-scalpel technique. No stitches are needed to close the tiny opening, which heals quickly, with no scar. The no-scalpel vasectomy was invented by a Chinese surgeon, and is used throughout China. It was introduced in the United States in 1988, and many doctors in this country have now mastered the technique.

http://www.engenderhealth.org/wh/fp/cnsv.html

This explains it better than I ever could.