title: Incidence of the retroaortic left renal vein in patients with varicocele.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of the retroaortic left renal vein (RLRV) in patients with varicocele.
  
  
  METHODS
  The left renal vein was ultrasonographically investigated for the presence of the RLRV in 140 patients with varicocele and a control group of 137 age-matched patients. The main diagnostic criteria for varicocele were the presence of a varicose vein with a diameter of 3 mm or larger at rest and with a reflux lasting more than 2 seconds during the Valsalva maneuver. The RLRV was defined as a posterior course of the left renal vein to the aorta at the level of the origin of the superior mesenteric artery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RLRV was observed in 13 (9.3%) of the 140 patients with varicocele and 3 (2.2%) of the control patients. The incidence of the RLRV was found to be significantly higher in patients with varicocele compared with the control patients (P = .018, Fisher exact test). In 13 patients with the RLRV, left varicocele and bilateral varicocele were detected in 10 and 3 cases, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, the incidence of the RLRV was found to be significantly higher in patients with varicocele compared with control patients. Thus, we suggest that the presence of the RLRV may be considered one of the etiologic factors in the development of varicocele.
authors: Department of Radiology, Mustafa Kemal University, Antioch, Turkey. sinemkarazincir@yahoo.com
authors: Sinem
authors: S
authors: Karazincir
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Balci
authors: Sadik
authors: S
authors: Görür
authors: Haldun
authors: H
authors: Sumbas
authors: Ahmet N
authors: AN
authors: Kiper
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012082:Renal Veins / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014646:Varicocele / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*