Varicocele treatment

Varicocele is an enlargement of the veins of the spermatic cord. It is secondary to malfunctioning “non-return” valves.

Varicocele can cause a heavy or sharp type of chronic pain. It often occurs in the evening or when it’s hot.

Varicocele is involved in male subfertility. Indeed, imagine that the stagnation of blood around the testicle slightly increases its temperature. Spermatogenesis is a complex process that requires a constant temperature. In case of even a small increase in temperature, sperm production will be affected, and it will have a detrimental effect on fertility.

The diagnosis is clinical. It is complemented by a Doppler ultrasound of the testicles. A semen analysis is useful to know the fertility potential. The treatment is surgical or radiological. When it’s surgical, it then consists of ligating and sectioning the gonadal vein. When it’s radiological, it consists of embolisation (blocking a vessel with a foreign body) of the gonadal vein.

The surgery will require you to spend about 48 hours in the clinic with 1 to 2 weeks of sick leave.