title: Effect of varicocelectomy on testicular volume in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of surgical intervention on catch-up growth as determined by a decreased testicular volume discrepancy in children and adolescents with varicocele.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic search was performed using MEDLINE and the PubMed database and cross-referenced as of October 28, 2011 using the terms "varicocele," "children," "adolescent," "surgery," and "testicular volume." All relevant studies were of the testicular volume discrepancy variance before and after surgical repair. The outcomes included the number of patients with initial testicular atrophy and those with catch-up growth after surgical repair. The database search, quality evaluation, and data extraction were independently performed by 2 reviewers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 75 studies, 14 were included for analysis and involved 1475 patients. The combined analysis showed that the testicular volume discrepancy was significantly reduced after surgery in the ≥10% group (P < .00001) and ≥20% group (P < .00001), respectively. No difference was found between the 2 groups (P = .70). Taken together, the number of patient with testicular volume disproportion in all pediatric and adolescent varicocele patients significantly decreased after surgery (P < .00001). The average proportion of catch-up growth was 76.4% (range 52.6%-93.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The meta-analysis suggested clear advantages of surgical intervention on reducing testicular hypotrophy when the discrepancy is ≥10% in children and adolescents with varicocele. Additional prospective and controlled studies are warranted to elucidate the treatment of children and adolescents with varicocele.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery Related, Faculty of Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Fuping
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Huanxun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D013085:Spermatic Cord / Q000601:surgery*; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology*; D014646:Varicocele / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*