Increased prevalence of varicocele in patients with coronary artery ectasia.
BACKGROUND
Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as localized or diffuse non-obstructive lesions of the epicardial coronary arteries with a luminal dilation exceeding the 1.5-fold of normal adjacent segment or vessel diameter. Varicocele is the dilatation of the pampiniform plexus. Recently increased prevalence of peripheral varicose veins has been shown in patients with CAE. In this study we aimed to assess the prevalence of varicocele, which is dilatation of another venous system, in patients with CAE.


METHODS
Thirty-five male consecutive patients with coronary artery ectasia in combination with or without coronary artery disease (CAD) and 63 male, age-matched patients with coronary artery disease were included in the study. All patients were evaluated for the presence of varicocele.


RESULTS
Twenty-one patients with CAE were found to have varicocele (62% of group I patients). In patients with CAD, 24 patients (38%) were found to have varicocele. The difference between the two groups in respect to presence of varicocele was statistically significant (P=0.02; odds ratio=1.57; 95% confidence interval 1.05- 2.3).


CONCLUSIONS
We have shown that patients with coronary artery ectasia have an increased prevalence of varicocele compared to those with coronary artery disease. The mechanism underlying coronary artery ectasia might further increase the prevalence of varicocele in susceptible patients.
Department of Cardiology, Inonu University School of Medicine, Malatya, and Diyarbakir Government Hospital, Department of Urology, Diyarbakir, Turkey. eryetkin@ttnet.net.tr
Ertan
E
Yetkin
Suleyman
S
Kilic
Nusret
N
Acikgoz
Huseyin
H
Ergin
Yuksel
Y
Aksoy
Isa
I
Sincer
Erdal
E
Aktürk
Ali
A
Beytur
Nasir
N
Sivri
Hasan
H
Turhan
D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014646:Varicocele / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*