Comparison of pre-operative and post-operative (varicocelectomy) sperm parameters in patients suffering varicocle with and without reflux in Doppler ultrasonography

Abstract

Background: Varicocele can cause progressive testicular damage and infertility. Severe retrograde blood flow to the internal spermatic vein has been suggested as a risk factor for infertility or progressive/stable varicocele. We have aimed to Compared th pre-operative and post-operative (varicocelectomy) sperm parameters in patients suffering varicocle with and without reflux in Doppler ultrasonography. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out at the Imaging Center of Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences in Imam and Golestan Hospitals. The parameters assessed included the presence or absence of internal spermatic vein reflux in both sided. Patients were divided into three groups based on the presence of testicular reflux: no reflux, left-sided reflux, and both sides reflux. The reflux longer than 1 second was considered pathologic. All patients were also referred to the laboratory for semen analysis, including semen volume, sperm morphology, sperm counts, and motility. Semen analysis was repeated 2 months after varicocelectomy. Results: In this study, a total of 70 patients were evaluated. Forty-three patients (61.4%) did not have any reflux, 23 patients (32.9%) had left testicular reflux, and 4 (5.7%) had reflux in both testicles. Semen volume, number of sperms, number of motile sperm, and sperm morphology increased significantly after Varicocelectomy. We did not find any significant correlation between testicular reflux and improvement index of semen analysis factor was found. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the presence of testicular reflux has no effect on semen analysis parameters, but also does not predict the consequences of varicocelectomy and therefore is not a suitable prognosis factor in varicocele patients.

Keywords

• Improvement index
• semen analysis
• testicular vein reflux
• varicocelectomy