Can LDH activity in spermatic vein indicate testicular damage? A preliminary report.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between varicocele and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), an intracellular enzyme that indicates cellular damage. LDH levels were measured in the blood samples of 17 oligoasthenospermic infertile patients with varicocele which were obtained synchronously from spermatic and peripheral veins during operation. Sperm counts ranged from 1 to 74 million/ml, while motility ranged from 10% to 60%. LDH level in spermatic vein was found statistically higher than the level in peripheral vein (p = 0.042). There was no correlation between sperm counts and LDH level in spermatic vein. We found a significant increase in spermatic vein LDH level in varicocele. We think that further studies are needed to reveal the relationship between spermatic vein LDH level and varicocele.