title: Can Ultrasound Findings be a Good Predictor of Sperm Parameters in Patients With Varicocele? A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Varicocele, one of the most common causes of sperm abnormalities in men, is the dilation of the testicular vein (the pampiniform venous plexus) by more than 2 mm. Ultrasonography is the primary imaging procedure for varicocele diagnosis. The venous diameter is evaluated using B-mode sonography, and venous reflux is assessed using color Doppler sonography.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we investigated the association of ultrasound findings with sperm parameters in patients with varicocele.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-nine patients with clinically diagnosed varicocele were included in this study, which was performed at a university imaging center. Patients were evaluated for pampiniform venous plexus diameter, venous reflux, and testicular size on both sides. Semen analysis was performed for all patients. The ultrasonography parameters and semen analysis data were compared to assess the correlations between the results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The semen analysis parameters, including semen volume and sperm morphology, count, and motility, significant correlations with the diameter of the varicocele vein but were not correlated with testes size. In addition, the patients with reflux of longer than 1 s and those with reflux of less than 1 s had significant differences in sperm parameters and varicocele size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that ultrasonography findings can be a good predictor of sperm parameters in patients with varicocele.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahdavi
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khezri
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Abolfazl
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shiravi
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Reyhaneh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pirjani
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Reyhaneh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saheb Kashaf
keywords: Color Doppler Ultrasonography; Correlation; Sperm Analysis Parameters; Varicocele