Men have most likely been affected by varicocele since the assumption of the upright position. In De Medicina, written during the first century AD, Celsus credits the Greeks with the first description of a varicocele, and he recorded his own acute observation: "The veins are swollen and twisted over the testicle, which becomes smaller". Celsus himself is credited with the distinction between va...

OBJECTIVES Increased levels of nitric oxide (NO) in the testicular veins of people suffering from varicocele have already been reported. However, the role of NO-synthase (NOS) isozymes and their inhibitors have not been extensively studied. We aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of aminoguanidine (AG), on sperm motility, vitality, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in varicocelized...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Varicocele is characterized by dilatation and tortuosity of the internal spermatic vein (ISV). Cross sections of ISV showed marked thickening of smooth muscle layer under microscopy. This study examined Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic protein) expression in the ISV of patients with varicocele. METHODS The study group consisted of eight patients with left varicocele, grade 3. The cont...

BACKGROUND Varicoceles are associated with venous flux that may cause increased heat and interstitial pressure within the testes, but these effects are variable. Some men with varicocele have infertility, but others do not. We question whether other factors contribute to the infertility, and whether these other factors could be identified by specific molecular/genetic markers. Can such markers ...

OBJECTIVES To examine levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in fertile semen donors and patients with varicocele and examine its association with semen characteristics and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). METHODS We conducted a prospective study consisting of 15 fertile donors (controls) and 35 infertile patients with varicocele. Semen analysis was performed according to the World Health Org...

INTRODUCTION Failure to perform surgical repair of varicocele before puberty is among the common causes of male infertility. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the testicular volume and fertility potential in men after laparoscopic varicocelectomy conducted in adolescence due to varicocele and concomitant testicular hypotrophy. MATERIAL AND METHODS From 1996 through 2011, eighty-two ad...

Infrared Functional Imaging (IRFI) was used to detect sub-clinical varicocele. The evaluation of varicocele related hyperthermia and the different thermal properties of healthy and unhealthy testicles were used to detect the presence of the disease. A mild cold thermal stress performed on the scrotal region highlighted differences in the thermal recovery between the contralateral testicles and ...

Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with clinical varicoceles; however, its correlation with varicocele grade and testis size is unknown. In our study, seminal ROS levels showed significant correlation with left varicocele grade and significantly elevated seminal ROS levels were seen in men with left varicocele grade 2 and 3 compared to grade 1.

BACKGROUND No reports have been published about age-related sperm malformations in varicocele patients. AIM To investigate the distribution of abnormal sperm characteristics in adolescents, adults and older men with varicocele. SETTING AND DESIGN Records of semen analysis of 143 men aged 14 to 53 years who had evident left-sided varicocele detected by physical examination and confirmed by d...

Varicocele is a major cause of male infertility, as it may impair spermatogenesis through several distinct physiopathological mechanisms. With the recent advances in biomolecular techniques and the development of novel sperm functional tests, it has been possible to better understand the mechanisms involved in testicular damage provoked by varicocele and, therefore, propose optimized ways to pr...