Spermatic vein and artery ligation for varicocele

CHEN Guo-qiang; JIANG Dong-fei; CHEN Chen; TANG Xiu-quan; LIU XIANG-bin; BAI Wen-jun

Abstract：Objective: To assess the influence of spermatic vein and artery ligation on testicular bemodynamics, spermatogene-sis and testis volume in varicocele patients. Methods: Eighty-eight varicocele patients were randomly divided into a spermatic vein and artery ligation (n = 46) and a spermatic vein and artery preservation group (n = 42). The testicular hemodynamic parameters,testis volume and results of semen analyses were obtained before and 6 months after the surgery and compared between the two groups.Results: There were no significant differences in peak systolic velocity (Vmax), end diastolic velocity (Vmin), mean enveloped ve-locity (Vmean) and Vmin of the capsular artery (CA) either between the ligation and preservation groups (P >0.05 ) or between pre- and post-operatian (P > 0.05). Sperm density, vitality and motility were significantly improved after surgery (P <0.01), with no significant differences between the two groups (P >0.05). No significant difference was found in the testis volume between the two groups before and after the operation (P > 0.05). Conclusion : Spermatic vein and artery ligation in varicocelectomy does not affect the testicular hemodynamics, spermatogenesis and testis volume of varicocele patients. Both the spermatic vein and artery should be li-gated when necessary.