Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Antegrade Varicocele Embolization with Cyanoacrylate Glue as an Alternative to the Standard Retrograde Approach

Abstract

We report a case of a 29-year-old male referred to our hospital for endovascular treatment of a left-sided painful varicocele. Standard retrograde embolization via the left renal vein was not possible because of the presence of a left circum-aortic renal vein making the catheterization of the testicular vein not feasible. The patient was successfully treated via ultrasound-guided percutaneous antegrade access of the testicular vein at the inguinal level with subsequent cyanoacrylate glue embolization as a minimally invasive alternative to surgical therapy. This is a new approach to varicocele embolization when the left renal vein does not feed the varicocele.

Keywords

• venous intervention
• varicocele
• testicular vein
• embolization
• cyanoacrylate glue