Think Critically: Make an Informed Decision.

​Surgery (Varicocelectomy) Is Not a Cure​

• Only 6-14% of those who undergo surgery attain a fertility benefit.
• Surgery is neither effective nor recommended for pain relief.
• Cutting out swollen veins is not curing them, and it does Not address the real problem.
• Surgical results are questionable.
• Surgery is a high risk procedure.
• A successful operation does not mean that you have recovered.

While the benefits of surgery are uncertain, the risks are very real. Be critical, ask lots of questions, and make an informed decision before committing to a permanent procedure that could injure you for life.

​Benefits of Varicocelectomy & Embolization

The reported 20-40% improvement in semen parameters is not associated with successful pregnancy. The best results for surgery state that for every 7 people who undergo surgery, only 1 additional pregnancy will be attained. You're more likely to suffer from negative side-effects than to have any benefit from varicocele surgery. The following tables assess the real benefits and risks of surgery:

The Risks of Varicocele Surgery & Embolization

There are many severe risks associated with varicocele surgery. I advise that you carefully consider the pros & cons before making your decision. You can also learn more about how surgery is likely not effective at all.

	Incisional Surgery	Laparoscopic Surgery	Embolization (Radiology)
Pregnancy	​1 in 7	​1 in 7	1 in 17
Semen Improvement	20-40%	20-40%	10-35%
Testosterone	​None to mild improvement	​None to mild improvement	​None to mild improvement
​Pain Relief	​None to mild improvement	​None to mild improvement	None to mild improvement

​​	Incisional Surgery	Laparoscopic Surgery	Embolization (Radiology)
Pre-Operative Risks: Local Anesthetic	n/a	n/a	minimal risks
Pre-Operative Risks: ​General Anesthetic	Hypotension Hypoxia Arrhythmia	Hypotension Hypoxia Arrhythmia CO2 Embolus Acidosis Hypercarbia​	Hypotension Hypoxia Arrhythmia​
Intra-Operative Risks	Bleeding Injury to the pubic arteries Arterial ligation Nerve damage Failure at attempt (1%-5%) Loss of testicle on side of the surgery (1%) Injury to a nerves in the pubic area	Injury to the pubic arteries Trocar injury (bowel, bladder) Preperitoneal insufflation Failure at attempt (1%-5%) Loss of testicle on side of the surgery (1%) Injury to a nerves in the pubic area	Adverse reaction to contrast (x-ray) dye  Vascular allergy X-ray radiation exposure Bleeding from vein perforation (rupture) (1%) Thrombosis of major veins Failure at attempt (15-30%)
Post-Operative Risks	Hematoma Shrinking of the testicle on the side of the surgery (1%) Hydrocele (5-10%) Persistent/recurrent varicocele (5-10%) Pain pills (2-6 weeks) Genitofemoral Nerve Injury Scrotal Emphysema Umbilical Granulomas Infection at site of surgery (1%) Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) (5%) Pulmonary embolus (PE) (1%) Onset of pain where there was none before (1%) Failure to relieve pain (15%) Continued infertility (86%) ​Decreased fertility Permanent scarring at incision site  ​​Lowered testosterone levels	Unrecognized bowel injury Omental eviscertain  Abdominal wall emphysema (4.5%) Pneumoscrotum (2.6%) Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) (5%) Hydrocele (5-15%) Persistent/recurrent varicocele (10-25%) Pain pills (2-6 weeks) Infection at site of surgery (1%) Shrinking of the testicle on the side of the surgery (1%) Pulmonary embolus (PE) (1%) Onset of pain where there was none before (1%) Failure to relieve pain (15%) Continued infertility (86%) ​Decreased fertility Permanent scarring at incision ​site ​Lowered testosterone levels	Hematoma (2%) Coil migration resulting in testicular loss (1%) Hydrocele (10-20%) Persistent/recurrent varicocele (10-30%) Pain pills (2 days - 1 week) Continued infertility (94%) Failure to relieve pain Onset of pain where there was none before Decreased fertility ​​Lowered testosterone levels

Watch: Varicocele Surgery (Full)

Science Sources

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3. Cochetti, Giovanni; Barillaro, Francesco; Cottini, Emanuele; D’Amico, Francesco; Pansadoro, Alberto; Pohja, Solajd; Boni, Andrea; Cirocchi, Roberto; Grassi, Veronica (2015-04-09). "Pneumoscrotum: report of two different cases and review of the literature". Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management. 11: 581–587. ISSN 1176-6336.PMC 4399391 . PMID 25914539. 
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8. Chi, Amanda C.; Hairston, John C. (2015-05-01). "Acute Right Varicocele: A Clue to Congenital Vascular Anomaly". Urology. 85 (5): e39–e40.doi:10.1016/j.urology.2015.02.005.
9. ​"Treatment of male varicoceles by transcatheter polidocanol foam sclerotherapy: evaluation of clinical success, complications, and patients' satisfaction with regard to alternative techniques - ProQuest". search.proquest.com. Retrieved2017-07-04.
10. ​Halpern, Joshua; Mittal, Sameer; Pereira, Keith; Bhatia, Shivank; Ramasamy, Ranjith (2016)."Percutaneous embolization of varicocele: technique, indications, relative contraindications, and complications". Asian Journal of Andrology. 18 (2): 234–238. ISSN 1008-682X. PMC 4770492 .PMID 26658060. doi:10.4103/1008-682X.169985.
11. Zampieri, N.; Castellani, R. L.; Zampieri, G.; Camoglio, F. S. (2014-10-01). "PS-067 Treatment Of Varicocele In Paediatric Patients With Contraindication For Open Surgery With Transfemoral Retrograde Sclero-embolization Under Local Anaesthesia".Archives of Disease in Childhood. 99 (Suppl 2): A136–A136. ISSN 0003-9888. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-307384.363.
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