Varicocele & Sperm Quality: Medical Treatment or Surgery

Abstract

Varicocele is a condition that involves the dilatation of pampiniform plexus, which drains blood from the testicles. The incidence of clinical varicocele in the general population is approximately 15%. The precise etiology remains unproven, but mechanism suggested include hypoxia and stasis, testicular venous hypertension, elevated testicular temperature, increase in spermatic cathecolamines, and increased oxidative stress. A varicocele is an anatomic abnormality that can impair sperm production and function. No effective medical treatments for varicoceles have been identified. Surgical varicocelectomy have reported significant improvements in one or more semen parameters in approximately 65% of treated men. Surgical varicocelectomy was an effective treatment for improving semen parameters of infertile males with clinically palpable varicocele. Significant evidence suggests that varicoceles have a harmful effect on testis and that varicocelectomy can not only prevent progressive decline in testicular but also reverse the damage.