Üçer, Oktay Celal Bayar University - Medical Faculty - Department of Urology, Turkey , Tarhan, Serdar Celal Bayar University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Radiology, TURKEY , Şahin, M. Oğuz Manisa State Hospital - Urology Clinics, Turkey , Gümüş, Bilal Celal Bayar University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Urology, Turkey

The effect of varicocele on the right testicular blood flow in patients with left varicocele

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Objective: There are many theories about the mechanism how varicocele causes infertility. One of these theories is about the negative effect of varicocele on testicular blood flow. We aimed to compare the measurements of testicular blood flow in right and left testes in patients with left varicocele and normal right testes. Methods: Forty-one patients with left varicocele were enrolled in the study. All participants were performed color Doppler sonography to assess testicular blood flow of the both testes. Blood flow parameters such as peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI) were measured in testicular, capsular and intratesticular arteries. Semen parameters were also assessed in the participants. Testicular blood flow parameters were compared between the two testes. Results: Mean age of the patients was 25,95±5,27(16- 37). The mean semen parameters of the patients; sperm count (million/ml) was 31.56±19.05, motility (%) was 51.21±22.27, normal morphology (%) was 12.75±2.97 and total motile sperm count (million/ml) was 54.92±47.46. There were no statistically significant differences between the testicular blood flow parameters of both testes which are PSV, EDV, RI and PI values in the testicular artery and its branches (capsular and intratesticular arteries) (p 0.05). Conclusion: The fact that there were no differences between the blood flows in both testes may depend on the study group who had normal sperm parameters. We suggest that testicular blood flow may be evaluated in patients with left varicocele and impaired sperm parameters.

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testicular blood flow , color Doppler ultrasound , varicocele

Dicle Medical Journal

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