INTRODUCTION: Varicocele is estimated to affect about 15% of the general male population. It usually occurs only on the left side, and is often asymptomatic. There is little evidence that varicocele reduces male fertility, although it is found in 12% of male partners of couples presenting with infertility and in 25% of men with abnormal semen analysis. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic overview, aiming to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments in adult males with varicocele? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to November 2013 (Clinical Evidence overviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this overview). RESULTS: Searching of electronic databases retrieved 203 studies. After deduplication and removal of conference abstracts, 91 records were screened for inclusion in the overview. Appraisal of titles and abstracts led to the exclusion of 53 studies and the further review of 38 full publications. Of the 38 full articles evaluated, one existing systematic review was updated and two systematic reviews and five RCTs were added at this update. We performed a GRADE evaluation of nine PICO combinations. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic overview we categorised the efficacy for four interventions, based on information relating to the effectiveness of embolisation, expectant management, sclerotherapy, and surgical ligation.
INTRODUCTION: Varicocele is estimated to affect about 15% of the general male population. It usually occurs only on the left side, and is often asymptomatic. There is little evidence that varicocele reduces male fertility, although it is found in 12% of male partners of couples presenting with infertility and in 25% of men with abnormal semen analysis. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic overview, aiming to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments in adult males with varicocele? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to November 2013 (Clinical Evidence overviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this overview). RESULTS: Searching of electronic databases retrieved 203 studies. After deduplication and removal of conference abstracts, 91 records were screened for inclusion in the overview. Appraisal of titles and abstracts led to the exclusion of 53 studies and the further review of 38 full publications. Of the 38 full articles evaluated, one existing systematic review was updated and two systematic reviews and five RCTs were added at this update. We performed a GRADE evaluation of nine PICO combinations. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic overview we categorised the efficacy for four interventions, based on information relating to the effectiveness of embolisation, expectant management, sclerotherapy, and surgical ligation.
Authors: Dong Hyuk Kang; Joo Yong Lee; Jae Hoon Chung; Jung Ki Jo; Seung Hwan Lee; Won Sik Ham; Kang Su Cho; Ki Soo Lee; Tae Hyo Kim; Seung Wook Lee Journal: J Urol Date: 2012-11-20 Impact factor: 7.450
Authors: Simon Freeman; Michele Bertolotto; Jonathan Richenberg; Jane Belfield; Vikram Dogra; Dean Y Huang; Francesco Lotti; Karolina Markiet; Olivera Nikolic; Subramaniyan Ramanathan; Parvati Ramchandani; Laurence Rocher; Mustafa Secil; Paul S Sidhu; Katarzyna Skrobisz; Michal Studniarek; Athina Tsili; Ahmet Tuncay Turgut; Pietro Pavlica; Lorenzo E Derchi Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2019-07-22 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Michele Bertolotto; Simon Freeman; Jonathan Richenberg; Jane Belfield; Vikram Dogra; Dean Y Huang; Francesco Lotti; Karolina Markiet; Olivera Nikolic; Subramaniyan Ramanathan; Parvati Ramchandani; Laurence Rocher; Mustafa Secil; Paul S Sidhu; Katarzyna Skrobisz; Michal Studniarek; Athina Tsili; Ahmet Tuncay Turgut; Pietro Pavlica; Lorenzo E Derchi Journal: J Ultrasound Date: 2020-07-27