title: The association between varicocele and ankylosing spondylitis via color duplex sonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between varicocele and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) via color duplex sonography (CDS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty male patients (age range 18-40 years, mean age 30.27 years) with AS and 30 male healthy controls (age range 20-36 years, mean age 27.23 years) were evaluated for varicocele using CDS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vein diameter in right and left pampiniform plexus (PP) in the AS group was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively). The incidence of varicocele was observed as 33.3 % in the AS group and 10 % in the control group. However, the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.028). The rate of right, left, and bilateral varicocele was 3.3 % (1 patient), 23.3 % (7 patients), and 6.6 % (2 patients), respectively, in the AS group, versus 0, 10, and 0 % in the control group (p = 1.000, p = 0.166, and p = 0.492, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of varicocele in AS patients is higher than in control subjects, and the difference is statistically significant. Therefore, varicocele must be taken into consideration and investigated in patients with AS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Medical School, Dicle University , Yenişehir, 21280 Diyarbakır , Turkey.
authors.forename: Cihad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hamidi
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Batmaz
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gümüş
authors.forename: Necmettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Penbegül
authors.forename: Mehmet Guli
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cetinçakmak
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tahtasız
authors.forename: Aslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilici
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014646:Varicocele / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology