title: The influence of clinical and subclinical varicocele on testicular volume.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the possible loss of testicular volume in infertile men with clinical and subclinical varicocele by using ultrasound (US)-derived measurements of testicular volume.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of clinical and scrotal US reports.
  
  
  METHODS
  University infertility clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Infertile men (n = 404) presenting for evaluation from 1992 to 1996.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Presence of clinical or subclinical varicocele, US-derived measurements of testicular volume.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In men with clinical left or subclinical left varicocele, left testicular volume was significantly less than right testicular volume (12.9 versus 14.1 and 13.2 versus 14.7 mL, respectively). This finding was not observed in men with bilateral clinical or bilateral subclinical varicoceles or in men without varicocele.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm previous reports showing that a clinical left varicocele can negatively impact on left testicular volume and for the first time show that a subclinical varicocele is also associated with decreased left testicular volume.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buckspan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berardinucci
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jarvi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012611:Scrotum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013737:Testis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014646:Varicocele / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*