What causes a varicocele?
Varicoceles are the result of one or more faulty valves within the veins returning blood to the heart from the scrotum. This causes blood to flow in reverse and “pool” within the veins. The veins become enlarged, forming a varicocele.
Most men with this condition do not experience any symptoms. However, as many as 40% of men with decreased fertility have a varicocele. It is believed that the additional blood within the scrotum raises its temperature, which can negatively affect sperm count and quality.
Varicoceles are most common in the left testicle. They can feel like a “bag of worms” and will usually be found by a doctor during a routine physical. Once a varicocele is formed, it will not go away on its own.
Treating varicoceles
Men without symptoms do not need to treat this condition. However, those experiencing pain, infertility or testicular shrinking may benefit from treatment. In addition, it is recommended that adolescents should get treatment to avoid future infertility. Surgery is commonly recommended to treat this condition.
However, surgery involves hospitalization and anesthesia, and a long recovery with restricted activity. While generally safe, complications such as bleeding, testicular injury, hydrocele, testicular atrophy and chronic pain can occur.
At PrecisionIR, we offer an alternative to surgery:
Varicocele embolization is a minimally invasive procedure to treat varicoceles. It is highly effective, requires no hospital stay and the patient can return to normal activities in 2-3 days. As varicoceles may return over time, it is safe to repeat this procedure even if the patient has had surgery in the past. Conversely, having the embolization procedure does not preclude the patient from having surgery in the future if repeated embolization has failed.
Varicocele embolization is performed by an interventional radiologist who inserts a tiny catheter into a vein in the upper thigh or neck and then uses x-ray imaging to guide it through the body’s blood vessels to the varicocele. Blood flow through the vein is then blocked or “embolized,” which causes it to shrink and eventually disappear.
The procedure is FDA approved and 90% successful—the same as with open surgery. The patient can resume sexual activity within a few days of the procedure. It may take 3-6 months for sperm count to improve.