title: Significant worsening sperm parameters are associated to testicular hypotrophy in patients with a high grade varicocele.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between testicular volume and semen parameter sin patients with unilateral high grade left varicocele.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eighty seven patients who had left high grade varicocele aged 19-to-25 years were included in this study. All patients underwent a standard evaluation, including medical history and physical examination. The percentage testicular volume difference between the right and left testicles was calculated. The patients were divided into the following three groups; Group 1 (n=72) testicular volume difference <10%, testicular volume difference 10%-20% Group 2 (n=74) and testicular volume difference >20% Group 3 (n=41).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age and BMI of the patients were 21.5 years and 23.1kg/m(2), respectively (P=.596, P=.943). The semen parameters and testicular volumes of the three groups were compared. The total motile sperm count, percentage of motile sperm, percentage of normal morphology sperm were found to be lower in Group 3 (P=.011, P=.012, P=.029 respectively). The mean testicular volumes for the left and the right testis were found to be 15.2cm(3) and 17.7cm(3) (P<.001), respectively. No significant difference was found in the right testicular volumes between groups (17.4, 17.7 and 18.1cm(3), P=.573).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high grade left testicular varicocele is associated with ipsilateral testicular hypotrophy and parallel to worsened sperm parameters.
authors: Ministry of Health, Ankara Numune Research and Training Hospital, Third Department of Urology, Ankara, Turquía.
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Guzel
authors: Ministry of Health, Ankara Numune Research and Training Hospital, Third Department of Urology, Ankara, Turquía.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Aslan
authors: Ministry of Health, Ankara Numune Research and Training Hospital, Third Department of Urology, Ankara, Turquía.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Balci
authors: Ministry of Health, Ankara Numune Research and Training Hospital, Third Department of Urology, Ankara, Turquía. Electronic address: tuncelaltug@yahoo.com.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Tuncel
authors: Kayseri Military Hospital, Department of Radiology, Kayseri, Turquía.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Unal
authors: Ministry of Health, Ankara Numune Research and Training Hospital, Third Department of Urology, Ankara, Turquía.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Atan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000002:abnormalities*; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology*; D014646:Varicocele / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Infertilidad; Infertility; Parámetros seminales; Semen parameters; Testicular volume; Varicocele; Volumen testicular