title: Significant decrease in sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation after varicocelectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure sperm DNA integrity values before and after varicocelectomy in patients with elevated preoperative levels of sperm DNA fragmentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Private urology clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven patients with grade 1, 2, or 3 varicocele.
  
  
  METHODS
  Varicocelectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sperm DNA fragmentation values were assessed before and after varicocelectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety percent of the patients showed a significant decrease in sperm DNA fragmentation levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although this study was small, 10 of the 11 patients with varicocele showed a significant decrease in sperm DNA fragmentation after varicocele repair. Elevated sperm DNA fragmentation has been shown to have a significant negative effect on pregnancy outcome with use of in vivo, IUI, routine IVF, and to a lesser extent intracytoplasmic sperm injection fertilization; therefore pregnancy outcome may improve after varicocelectomy.
authors.affiliation: Center for Male Reproductive Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Werthman
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wixon
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasperson
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Evenson
mesh_terms: D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D013521:Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male; D014646:Varicocele / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*