Assessment of semen parameters after microsurgical varicocelectomy in men from infertile couples

Abstract

Introduction. Varicocele is one of the frequently identified and corrected causes of male subfertility. However, varicocele correction results in improved sperm quality only in 60 – 70% of subfertile men. At the same time, it is not completely clear which semen parameters improve to a greater extent, and what is the proportion ofpatients with an improvement in parameters to normozoospermia.Objectives. To assess qualitative changes in semen after microsurgical varicocelectomy according to WHO 2021 Laboratory manual of semen analysis.Materials & methods. This study analysed qualitative changes in sperm in infertile men after varicocelectomy. All patients had a clinical varicocele, for which microsurgical varicocelectomy was performed. The study included 100 subfertile men with varicocele and abnormal sperm parameters.Results. In the postoperative period (after 6 months), the main semen parameters increased significantly. Also, the proportion of patients with isolated asthenozoospermia decreased by 22% (p < 0.05), the proportion of patients with oligoasthenozoospermia decreased by 14% (p < 0.05). The proportion of patients with normospermia was 35% (p < 0.0001). In patients with oligoasthenozoospermia significant improvement in sperm to normospermia was observed in 19% of cases.Conclusions. Varicocele repair leads to an improvement in the quality of the ejaculate in subfertile men with palpable varicocele and pathozoospermia, with the most significant improvement in sperm motility. However, only in a third of patients semen quality improved to normal levels. Additionally, varicocelectomy demonstrated high efficacy in patients with oligoasthenozoospermia.

Keywords

• semen
• semen analysis
• infertility
• varicocele
• varicocelectomy
• asthenozoospermia
• oligoasthenozoospermia