Contrary to what I read and was told, reversing vasectomies isn't routine. It requires a great deal of skill and "microsurgery" because the vas is such a small tube. Unfortunately, since there's no one to regulate the doctors' advertising, everyone performing this procedure claims to perform true microsurgery and have extraordinary skill in this area. It was a year later before I found out just how untrue these claims were and just how botched my surgery was.

Travel Down Under for the Best Surgery ... Down Under

When it comes to medicine, there seems to be a feeling that the U.S. is the undisputed leader. We've been led to believe that our scientists and doctors develop all the latest procedures and techniques. In many cases, that's not true - particularly in the field of microsurgery. I've had the opportunity to befriend (a couple of years too late) arguably the most accomplished microsurgeon in the world. As fate would have it, while I've been spending the last ten years or so searching the rainforests of Australia, he has quietly been making medical history in his research clinic in Sydney. Sitting practically under my nose was the pioneer of microsurgery. In Texas terms, "if it was a rattlesnake it would have bit me."
Professor Earl Owen actually pioneered the field of microsurgery in the 1960s His early work stemmed from his interest in correcting abnormalities in premature newborn babies. To do this work, he had to develop micro instruments such as needles, threads, scissors, forceps, and even special operating chairs. He convinced Johnson and Johnson to make special miniature threads for him, which he could use with his microtechniques to repair the body's smallest and most fragile tubal organs such as ducts, veins, arteries, lymph vessels, and nerves. He then went to Germany and had craftsmen make his micro instruments. He worked with the Carl Zeiss optical company to develop and manufacture a specialized foot-operated microscope needed for the procedures he was performing. Like each of his other instruments, the microscope was the very first of its kind in the world. Not surprisingly Professor Owen has been the "first in the world" to achieve many accomplishments.
Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of the fact soon enough, but Professor Owen was the first surgeon in the world to microreverse a vasectomy. That was in 1971, and since that time he has personally reversed over 4,000 vasectomies and has the highest "baby rates" of any doctor in the world (another "first"). On over 3,800 randomly selected cases, 85 percent of the men went on to father a baby.

Defining Down Success

Many surgeons doing vasectomy reversals "cherry pick" the individuals they'll operate on, and then deem the procedure a success if sperm passes through the reattached vas. Tricks like these allow them to claim higher "success rates." It's not uncommon, however, for blockages to occur shortly thereafter from swelling, adhesions, scar tissue, poor surgical procedures resulting in inadequate circulation to the area, and a dozen other reasons. All of that's irrelevant to the doctor. Even if such a blockage occurs, the doctor can still consider the operation a "success." That's how surgeons can make money-back guarantees and never have to refund money, even though the surgery is a total failure from the patient's point of view. (I don't want to sound like I'm condemning everyone in the profession who performs vasectomy reversals. I'm sure there are many competent doctors performing the procedure. I made the mistake of choosing a doctor who was not competent. Hopefully, by learning the details of my experience, you will be less likely to make the same mistake.)

Changing lives One Small Stitch at a Time

I originally learned about Professor Owen when I was reading a medical journal article about transplants. Although there was only a brief mention of his name, for some reason 1 decided to do a little more research on the gentleman. What shocked me was there was so little publicity and information on undoubtedly one of the greatest surgeons of all time. with all his accomplishments, he seems to shun publicity and recognition.
I soon discovered that not only was he the first surgeon to successfully reverse a vasectomy, he was the first surgeon in the world to successfully re-attach a finger. That was on a two-year-old child in 1970. He was the first in the world to successfully rejoin multiple fingers. He was the first to successfully operate on women's fallopian tubes and reverse female sterilization back in 1972. He was the first to obtain fertility in men born sterile. He was the first to successfully perform long nerve grafts of peripheral nerves, restoring movement and sensation. He performs facial nerve grafts from nerves taken from the leg to restore facial expression in individuals with paralyzed facial muscles. These grafts have restored "smiles" to numerous individuals suffering nerve damage from trauma to the head or facial nerve and those suffering from Bell's palsy.
Professor Owen performed the world's first hand transplant. Patient Clint Hallam, from New Zealand, had his hand amputated in 1984 and Owen and his Team successfully attached a hand from a deceased donor in 1998, 14 years later. Using his microsurgical techniques and immunosuppressive drugs he's been testing for years, he transplanted a hand from a dead individual to Mr. Hallam. Mr. Hallam regained feeling and full use of the hand. Since that time, Owen's Team has been instrumental in numerous other such transplants.
On January 13, 2000, Owen's Team successfully transplanted Two Hands from a dead accident victim to a 33-year-old Frenchman who lost both of his hands to a rocket explosion three years earlier. This was obviously another "world's first" for Professor's Owen, J.M. Dubernard an their International Team.

A Master at Work

I contacted Professor Owen a little over a year ago. You might think that with all his accomplishments he would be inaccessible. In fact, he is just the opposite. His work is obviously still his passion. He still personally operates on each patient and has the same surgical team that has been with him for over 22 years. Among other surgeries, he and his team perform two to four vasectomy reversals a week. Although his "world's firsts" and other endeavors would fill a book, you'd never know it if you spoke with him. He's one of the most warm, modest, unpretentious individuals I've ever met.

To make a long story short, he did agree to operate and see if there was anything he could do to help my situation. As he does with all his surgeries, he videotaped the procedure. Two days after the surgery, we reviewed the tape. That's when I saw just how crude my prior "microsurgical" procedures were. One re-attachment was no longer even together. Under magnification from Professor Owen's microscope, the stitching from the other surgeon looked like it was sewn with rope and very poorly done. As I watched the tape, I saw that Professor Owen's thread was so small it was often hard to see, and the stitching was so sure and even it looked like it was being done by a machine. The prior reversal surgeries had damaged the small tubules so badly that the damaged portions had to be removed prior to an attempt at reattachment. There wasn't much hope for success from the start, and, unfortunately, the operation wasn't successful.

Innovator, Artist, and Philanthropist

I have had the pleasure of getting to know and visit with Professor Owen on numerous occasions. 1 was also invited and had the opportunity to visit Microsearch, the only independent surgical research unit in Australia, set up by Professor Owen in 1973. The Microsearch Foundation subsists solely on donations, and was set up to continue the advancement of microsurgical techniques and the training of doctors worldwide. While Professor Owen remains the founder and medical director, he doesn't take a salary. It's obviously his "baby," and the research being performed there will change the way surgery is performed throughout the world.
He showed me ways they're using lasers and "biological solders" to join nerves and blood vessels together, eliminating the need for stitches and reducing the time needed for repair. They've uncovered ways to improve nerve regeneration and speed the repair of severed nerves. They've also developed miniature probes with laser attachments that can evaluate body tissue without the need for biopsies. It's some of the most fascinating work I've ever seen.
I n my dealings with Professor Owen, it became obvious that his passion is his work. He never put patents on the microsurgical tools he developed, but instead concentrated on sharing his tools and techniques with as many doctors as possible. His obsession with teaching may be why he refers to himself as Professor Owen instead of Dr. Owen.
Hundreds of doctors have trained under Professor Owen or at the Microsearch Foundation and are now performing these types of surgeries in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Surprisingly, however, with the exchange rate between the Australian and U. S. dollars, you can fly to Australia, spend a week or so, and have the surgery done there for about the same as it costs to do it here. A few Americans, Europeans, and Asians have been doing just that, and they now make up a good percentage of Professor Owen's patients. I only wish 1 knew sooner. I can honestly say that some of the least invasive and most successful surgery is happening there, and nowhere else. If I had it to do over again, .this is definitely where I would go.

Available Expertise

If you have one of the problems I've mentioned, I would strongly suggest contacting his office to see if they can help. You won't find a lot of information' on Professor Owen in many places, but he now has a helpful Web site (www.earlowen.com.au). His office staff is also extremely helpful and experienced in making comprehensive arrangements for individuals coming from the U.S. (the way they take care of the details, you'd think you were visiting family).

You can contact Professor Owen through his office assistant, at Level 3 121 Walker Street, North Sydney NSW 2060, Australia. Office phone: 011-61-2-9954-5455. Fax: 011-61-029954-5055. E-mail: earlowen@ihug.com.au.

I have had the opportunity to witness numerous surgeries that were very impressive, but nothing I've ever seen has come close to true microsurgery. The attention to every little nerve and blood and lymphatic vessel is something you don't see in conventional surgery. My first comment to Professor Owen was that all surgery should be microsurgery. He agreed, but actually has even stronger feelings on the subject. He feels that surgeons should be developing diagnostic and repair techniques that are increasingly less invasive, in fact, so non-invasive that they put themselves out of work. That's exactly the type of research that Professor Owen and his colleagues at Microsearch have been doing for the last 30 years.

In the meantime, it should be nice to know that you still have access to one of the best surgeons in the world and all the benefits of his remarkable research.