The ultrasound diagnosis and clinical significance of varicocele

A study was carried out to determine the relationship between clinically diagnosed and ultrasound-diagnosed varicoceles in 151 men with normal and abnormal semen analysis. In only 60 cases (40%) was the clinical diagnosis confirmed by ultrasound. Of the men with ultrasound-diagnosed varicocele, 14% were found to have a normal semen analysis compared to 31% of men without a varicocele, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Bilateral varicoceles were associated with an even greater chance of having an abnormal semen analysis (p < 0.01), and with a significantly (p 0.05) decreased chance of spontaneous pregnancy. These men and also men with unilateral varicocele, whose partners have a relative cause of female subfertility, may benefit from earlier intervention for the treatment of their subfertility.