I feel a small lump near my incision, should I see the doctor?

When I was a resident we were told that the firmness under an incision was called a "healing ridge." We forget that any surgery is a traumatic event to the skin and the tissues and that the body perceives it as so and sends in cells to combat it. This is the usual explanation of a lump near or at the incision. If the lump is deeper then it is the same reaction of the body to the trauma to the vas deferens. This too is normal. In addition to this there can be small collections of blood (a hematoma), a response to leaked sperm (a sperm granuloma) or the normal healing process. In the vast majority of cases areas such as you have described and that I have mentioned go away on their own without need of any antibiotic or a office visit. As always if there is any concern I am sure your urologist will be happy to see you in follow up.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The most important concern is infection. If there are no signs or symptoms (i.e. redness or purulent drainage), then typically there is no concern for infection. Likely this will heal itself with time. A small lump of tissue at a vasectomy site can be a reaction to the suture and may persist for sometime after the procedure. Typically, these are not painful and resolve over a period of weeks.

Published on Jul 11, 2012