Effects of percutaneous varicocele repair on testicular volume: results from a 12-month follow-up.

Andrea Sansone; Danilo Alunni Fegatelli; Carlotta Pozza; Giorgio Fattorini; Rosa Lauretta; Marianna Minnetti; Francesco Romanelli; Pierleone Lucatelli; Mario Corona; Mario Bezzi; Francesco Lombardo; Andrea Lenzi; Daniele Gianfrilli

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Effects of percutaneous varicocele repair on testicular volume: results from a 12-month follow-up.

Author: Andrea SANSONE ¹ ; Danilo Alunni FEGATELLI ² ; Carlotta POZZA ¹ ; Giorgio FATTORINI ¹ ; Rosa LAURETTA ³ ; Marianna MINNETTI ¹ ; Francesco ROMANELLI ¹ ; Pierleone LUCATELLI ⁴ ; Mario CORONA ⁴ ; Mario BEZZI ⁴ ; Francesco LOMBARDO ¹ ; Andrea LENZI ¹ ; Daniele GIANFRILLI ¹
Author Information

1. Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy.
2. Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy.
3. Unit of Endocrinology, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome 00144, Italy.
4. Vascular and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomo-Pathological Sciences, Sapienza - University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: catch-up growth; percutaneous treatment; testicular hypotrophy; testicular ultrasound; testicular volume; varicocele; young adults
MeSH: Adolescent; Adult; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Organ Size/physiology*; Retrospective Studies; Testis/surgery*; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonography; Varicocele/surgery*; Young Adult
From: Asian Journal of Andrology 2019;21(4):408-412
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: Varicocele is a common finding in men. Varicocele correction has been advocated for young patients with testicular hypotrophy, but there is a lack of morphofunctional follow-up data. We assessed whether percutaneous treatment of left varicocele is associated with testicular "catch-up growth" in the following 12 months by retrospectively reviewing data from an electronic database of 10 656 patients followed up in our clinic between 2006 and 2016. We selected all young adults (<35 years) with left varicocele who underwent percutaneous treatment, had a minimum of 12 months' ultrasound imaging follow-up, and had no other conditions affecting testicular volume. One hundred and fourteen men (mean±standard deviation [s.d.] of age: 22.8 ± 5.4 years) met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Left testicular hypotrophy (LTH), defined as a ≥20% difference between left and right testicular volume at baseline, was observed in 26 (22.8%) men. Participants with LTH (mean±s.d.: 14.5 ± 2.7 ml) had lower baseline testicular volume compared to those without LTH (mean±s.d.: 15.7 ± 3.8 ml; P = 0.032). Repeated measures mixed models showed a significant interaction between LTH and time posttreatment when correcting for baseline left testicular volume (β = 0.114, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.018-0.210, P = 0.020), resulting in a catch-up growth of up to 1.37 ml per year (95% CI: 0.221-2.516). Age at intervention was also associated with reduced testicular volume (-0.072 ml per year, 95% CI: -0.135--0.009; P = 0.024). Percutaneous treatment of left varicocele in young adults with LTH can result in catch-up growth over 1 year of follow-up. The reproductive and psychological implications of these findings need to be confirmed in longer and larger prospective studies.