Fevzi Bedir1, Ercüment Keskin2, Mehmet Karabakan3, İbrahim Karabulut1, Fatih Kürşat Yılmazel1, Ertuğrul Gazi Özbey4, Yılmaz Aksoy5, İsa Özbey5. 1. Clinic of Urology, Erzurum Training and Research Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey. 2. Clinic of Urology, Erzincan University Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital, Erzincan, Turkey. 3. Clinic of Urology, Mersin Toros State Hospital, Mersin, Turkey. 4. Clinic of Urology, Taşköprü State Hospital, Kastamonu, Turkey. 5. Department of Urology, Atatürk University School of Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The incidence of varicocele is approximately 15% in adolecent men. Early treatment with varicocele is aimed to resolve testicular hypotrophy and ensure catch-up growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate ipsilateral catch-up growth rates relative to contralateral testicular growth in adolescents with varicocele undergoing microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty adolescents with unilateral grade 2-3 varicoceles were included in the study. All patients underwent microsurgical subinguinal left varicocelectomies performed by the same experienced surgeon. All patients were evaluated clinically and using orchidometric measurements to define the grade of varicocele and testicular volume at presentation and follow-up. The number of internal and external spermatic veins, testicular arteries and lymphatic vessels preserved during the subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy were recorded. The mean follow-up period was 26 months (range 6-48 months). RESULTS: At presentation, mean patient age was 12.9±2.1 years. Mean testicular preoperative volumes were 7.1±4.3 mL for the right and 5.4±3.4 mL for the left testis. There were significant differences between mean volumes of the right and left testis (p=0.002). At the final postoperative follow-up visit, mean testicular volumes were 10.8±5.1 mL (range 3-25) for the right and 9.9±4.3 mL (range 2-20) for the left, and the difference between the right and left testicular volumes was insignificant (p=0.47). In our series, catch-up growth was observed in 70% (35/50) of our patients. CONCLUSION: Adolescent varicocelectomy is associated with a higher percentage of patients showing testicular catch-up growth. In our study, similarly to the available literature the catch-up growth rate was found as 70% and observed to have positive effects of adolescent varicocelectomy on testicular growth.
OBJECTIVE: The incidence of varicocele is approximately 15% in adolecent men. Early treatment with varicocele is aimed to resolve testicular hypotrophy and ensure catch-up growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate ipsilateral catch-up growth rates relative to contralateral testicular growth in adolescents with varicocele undergoing microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty adolescents with unilateral grade 2-3 varicoceles were included in the study. All patients underwent microsurgical subinguinal left varicocelectomies performed by the same experienced surgeon. All patients were evaluated clinically and using orchidometric measurements to define the grade of varicocele and testicular volume at presentation and follow-up. The number of internal and external spermatic veins, testicular arteries and lymphatic vessels preserved during the subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy were recorded. The mean follow-up period was 26 months (range 6-48 months). RESULTS: At presentation, mean patient age was 12.9±2.1 years. Mean testicular preoperative volumes were 7.1±4.3 mL for the right and 5.4±3.4 mL for the left testis. There were significant differences between mean volumes of the right and left testis (p=0.002). At the final postoperative follow-up visit, mean testicular volumes were 10.8±5.1 mL (range 3-25) for the right and 9.9±4.3 mL (range 2-20) for the left, and the difference between the right and left testicular volumes was insignificant (p=0.47). In our series, catch-up growth was observed in 70% (35/50) of our patients. CONCLUSION: Adolescent varicocelectomy is associated with a higher percentage of patients showing testicular catch-up growth. In our study, similarly to the available literature the catch-up growth rate was found as 70% and observed to have positive effects of adolescent varicocelectomy on testicular growth.
Entities:
Keywords:
Adolescence; catch up growth of the testis; subinguinal microscopic varicocelectomy; varicocele