title: [Treatment of varicocele infertility men patients of different Chinese medical syndrome types by integrative medicine treatment selection: a primary research].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the optimal treatment selection for treating varicocele (VC) male infertility patients accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia of different Chinese medical syndrome types by comparing the efficacies of integrative medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty male infertility patients with VC accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia were assigned to Chinese medical treatment group (A) and the surgical group (B), each consisting of three Chinese medical syndrome types, i.e., damp-heat stagnation syndrome (DHSS), Shen-deficiency blood stasis syndrome (SDBSS), and blood stasis stagnation syndrome (BSSS), 20 in each group. Corresponding Chinese medical treatment was administered to those in Group A, C, and E, while microscopic ligation of internal vena spermatic was administered to those in Group B, D, and F. The routine analysis of semen, biochemical analysis of seminal plasma, and serum sex hormones (prolactin, testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol) were performed before treatment and by the end of the 24th week after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally 18 patients' spouses were pregnant. Of them, 1 in Group A of DHSS (abbreviated as Group A), 3 in Group B of DHSS (abbreviated as Group B), 4 in Group A of SDB-SS (abbreviated as Group C), 5 in Group A of SDBSS (abbreviated as Group D), 1 in Group A of BSSS (abbreviated as Group E), and 4 in Group B of BSSS (abbreviated as Group F). After 24-week treatment, the sperm concentration, class a sperm percentage, class a + b sperm percentage, the motility rate, the seminal plasma of fructose density, and the seminal plasma neutral alpha-glucosidase were more significantly improved in Group B, C, D and F, when compared with the same group before treatment (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). There was no statistical difference in the aforesaid indices between before and after treatment in Group A and Group E (P >0.05). As for the improvement percentage of seminal routine indices, the difference of the seminal plasma of fructose density, and the difference of seminal plasma neutral alpha-glucosidase between before and after treatment in the same Chinese medical syndrome types, better effects were obtained in Group B than in Group A (P <0.01), and better effects were obtained in Group F than in Group E (P <0.01). There was no statistical difference between Group C and D (P >0.05). There was no statistical difference in the 5 items of sex hormones in each group between before and after treatment (P >0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical treatment could effectively improve the semen quality for male infertility VC patients accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia. Of them, Chinese medical treatment could be recommended to those of SDBSS who would not receive surgical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Shanghai Institute of Andrology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200001, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong-Xiang
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Yin-Fa
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yi-Xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-Ran
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D014646:Varicocele / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*