Background and Objective: The optimal treatment for varicocele is still controversial. Although there are many treatment methods, none can be considered as the best therapeutic option. We present our initial laparosco...Background and Objective: The optimal treatment for varicocele is still controversial. Although there are many treatment methods, none can be considered as the best therapeutic option. We present our initial laparoscopic varicocelectomy experience by describing the clinical aspects and evaluating the outcomes of this surgical procedure at the Centre medico-chirugicale d’urologie in Douala, Cameroon. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out between January 2015 and December 2019 on 35 patients with symptomatic varicoceles who were treated for either testicular pain or infertility. All surgical procedures were performed via laparoscopy, with ligation of the spermatic vein using a hemlock clip in the retroperitoneal space. The patients were followed up for three months after surgery, and data were collected and analyzed to obtain results. Results: The study participants were aged 16 - 55 years, with a mean age of 36.11 ± 8.45 years. Infertility was the main presenting complaint. In 65.7% of cases, varicoceles were bilateral with testicular atrophy occurring in 26 patients (74.28%). The surgery duration ranged from 14 minutes to 60 minutes, with an average duration of 34.8 minutes. There was no case of conversion to open surgery. No major complications were observed and all patients were discharged the day after surgery. Three months after surgery, all patients stopped experiencing pain and semen parameters improved in 71.42% of the study participants, with 42.82% of them impregnating their partners. Conclusion: Laparoscopic varicocelectomy is efficient, less time-consuming, with minimal postoperative complications. It can be performed easily in the outpatient department.展开更多
The present meta-analysis was conducted to compare the clinical effect and patient experience of laparoendoscopic single-site varicocelectomy （LESSV） and conventional laparoscopic varicocelectomy. The candidate stud...The present meta-analysis was conducted to compare the clinical effect and patient experience of laparoendoscopic single-site varicocelectomy （LESSV） and conventional laparoscopic varicocelectomy. The candidate studies were included after literature search of database Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE. Related information on essential data and outcome measures was extracted from the eligible studies by two independent authors, and a meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 12.0 software. Subgroup analyses were conducted by study design （RCT and non-RCT）. The odds ratio （OR） or standardized mean difference （SMD） and their 95% confidence intervals （95% CIs） were used to estimate the outcome measures. Seven articles were included in our meta-analysis. The results indicated that patient who had undergone LESSV had a shorter duration of back to work （overall： SMD = -1.454, 95% Ch -2.502m0.405, P= 0.007; non-RCT： SMD = -2.906, 95% Ch -3.796-2.017, P= 0.000; and RCT： SMD = -0.841, 95% Ch -1.393-0.289, P = 0.003） and less pain experience at 3 h or 6 h （SMD = -0.447, 95% Ch -0.754-0.139, P = 0.004）, day 1 （SMD = -0.477, 95% Ch -0.905-0.05, P = 0.029）, and day 2 （SMD = -0.612, 95% Ch -1.099-0.125, P= 0.014） postoperatively based on RCT studies. However, the meta-analyses based on operation time, clinical effect （improvement of semen quality and scrotal pain relief）, and complications （hydrocele and recurrence） yielded nonsignificant results. In conclusion, LESSV had a rapid recovery and less pain experience over conventional laparoscopic varicocelectomy. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two varicocelectomy techniques in terms of the clinical effect and the incidence of hydrocele and varicocele recurrence. More high-quality studies are warranted for a comprehensive conclusion.展开更多
The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of laparoscopic Doppler ultrasound （LDU） application during laparoscopic varicocelectomy （LV）, and to compare the surgical outcomes and complications between LDU-a...The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of laparoscopic Doppler ultrasound （LDU） application during laparoscopic varicocelectomy （LV）, and to compare the surgical outcomes and complications between LDU-assisted LV （LDU-LV） and conventional LV for infertile patients with varicoceles; 147 infertile patients were randomly divided into two groups. Operative and postoperative parameters, semen parameters, and the pregnancy rate were compared. There were no differences in baseline demographics. The operative time was significantly longer in LDU-LV group than LV group. The incidence of postoperative hydrocele was 1.4% （1/72） in LDU-LV group versus 10.7% （8/75） in LV group, which showed a significant difference （P〈 0.05）. However, other surgical outcomes, such as postoperative hospital stay, postoperative recurrence, and testicular atrophy, were similar between the two groups. Sperm concentration and sperm motility were significantly increased in both groups at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery （P 〈 0.01）, and they were higher in LDU-LV than LV group in 12 months after surgery （34.21 ± 6.36 vs 29.99 ± 6.04 for concentration, P〈 0.05; 40.72±8.12 vs 37.31 ± 6.12 for motility, P〈 0.05）. Sperm morphology was comparable between the two groups. The pregnancy rate showed no significant difference （44.4% of the LDU-LV vs 37.3% of the LV, P〉 0.05）. In conclusion, compared with LV, LDU-LV could safely and effectively ligate all spermatic veins and preserve spermatic arteries without leading to high varicocele recurrence and postoperative hydrocele. Given the benefits that sperm counts as well as sperm motility favoring LDU-LV, we recommend that LDU should be routinely used as an effective tool to improve outcomes and safety of laparoscopic varicocelectomy.展开更多
Varicoceles had been recognized in clinical practice for over a century. Originally, these procedures were utilized for the management of pain but, since 1952, the repairs had been mostly for the treatment of male inf...Varicoceles had been recognized in clinical practice for over a century. Originally, these procedures were utilized for the management of pain but, since 1952, the repairs had been mostly for the treatment of male infertility. However, the diagnosis and treatment of varicoceles were controversial, because the pathophysiology was not clear, the entry criteria of the studies varied among centers, and there were few randomized clinical trials. Nevertheless, clinicians continued developing techniques for the correction of varicoceles, basic scientists continued investigations on the pathophysiology of varicoceles, and new outcome data from prospective randomized trials have appeared in the world＇s literature. Therefore, this special edition of the Asian Journal of Andrology was proposed to report much of the new information related to varicoceles and, as a specific part of this project, the present article was developed as a comprehensive review of the evolution and refinements of the corrective procedures.展开更多
文摘Background and Objective: The optimal treatment for varicocele is still controversial. Although there are many treatment methods, none can be considered as the best therapeutic option. We present our initial laparoscopic varicocelectomy experience by describing the clinical aspects and evaluating the outcomes of this surgical procedure at the Centre medico-chirugicale d’urologie in Douala, Cameroon. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out between January 2015 and December 2019 on 35 patients with symptomatic varicoceles who were treated for either testicular pain or infertility. All surgical procedures were performed via laparoscopy, with ligation of the spermatic vein using a hemlock clip in the retroperitoneal space. The patients were followed up for three months after surgery, and data were collected and analyzed to obtain results. Results: The study participants were aged 16 - 55 years, with a mean age of 36.11 ± 8.45 years. Infertility was the main presenting complaint. In 65.7% of cases, varicoceles were bilateral with testicular atrophy occurring in 26 patients (74.28%). The surgery duration ranged from 14 minutes to 60 minutes, with an average duration of 34.8 minutes. There was no case of conversion to open surgery. No major complications were observed and all patients were discharged the day after surgery. Three months after surgery, all patients stopped experiencing pain and semen parameters improved in 71.42% of the study participants, with 42.82% of them impregnating their partners. Conclusion: Laparoscopic varicocelectomy is efficient, less time-consuming, with minimal postoperative complications. It can be performed easily in the outpatient department.
文摘The present meta-analysis was conducted to compare the clinical effect and patient experience of laparoendoscopic single-site varicocelectomy （LESSV） and conventional laparoscopic varicocelectomy. The candidate studies were included after literature search of database Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE. Related information on essential data and outcome measures was extracted from the eligible studies by two independent authors, and a meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 12.0 software. Subgroup analyses were conducted by study design （RCT and non-RCT）. The odds ratio （OR） or standardized mean difference （SMD） and their 95% confidence intervals （95% CIs） were used to estimate the outcome measures. Seven articles were included in our meta-analysis. The results indicated that patient who had undergone LESSV had a shorter duration of back to work （overall： SMD = -1.454, 95% Ch -2.502m0.405, P= 0.007; non-RCT： SMD = -2.906, 95% Ch -3.796-2.017, P= 0.000; and RCT： SMD = -0.841, 95% Ch -1.393-0.289, P = 0.003） and less pain experience at 3 h or 6 h （SMD = -0.447, 95% Ch -0.754-0.139, P = 0.004）, day 1 （SMD = -0.477, 95% Ch -0.905-0.05, P = 0.029）, and day 2 （SMD = -0.612, 95% Ch -1.099-0.125, P= 0.014） postoperatively based on RCT studies. However, the meta-analyses based on operation time, clinical effect （improvement of semen quality and scrotal pain relief）, and complications （hydrocele and recurrence） yielded nonsignificant results. In conclusion, LESSV had a rapid recovery and less pain experience over conventional laparoscopic varicocelectomy. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two varicocelectomy techniques in terms of the clinical effect and the incidence of hydrocele and varicocele recurrence. More high-quality studies are warranted for a comprehensive conclusion.
文摘The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of laparoscopic Doppler ultrasound （LDU） application during laparoscopic varicocelectomy （LV）, and to compare the surgical outcomes and complications between LDU-assisted LV （LDU-LV） and conventional LV for infertile patients with varicoceles; 147 infertile patients were randomly divided into two groups. Operative and postoperative parameters, semen parameters, and the pregnancy rate were compared. There were no differences in baseline demographics. The operative time was significantly longer in LDU-LV group than LV group. The incidence of postoperative hydrocele was 1.4% （1/72） in LDU-LV group versus 10.7% （8/75） in LV group, which showed a significant difference （P〈 0.05）. However, other surgical outcomes, such as postoperative hospital stay, postoperative recurrence, and testicular atrophy, were similar between the two groups. Sperm concentration and sperm motility were significantly increased in both groups at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery （P 〈 0.01）, and they were higher in LDU-LV than LV group in 12 months after surgery （34.21 ± 6.36 vs 29.99 ± 6.04 for concentration, P〈 0.05; 40.72±8.12 vs 37.31 ± 6.12 for motility, P〈 0.05）. Sperm morphology was comparable between the two groups. The pregnancy rate showed no significant difference （44.4% of the LDU-LV vs 37.3% of the LV, P〉 0.05）. In conclusion, compared with LV, LDU-LV could safely and effectively ligate all spermatic veins and preserve spermatic arteries without leading to high varicocele recurrence and postoperative hydrocele. Given the benefits that sperm counts as well as sperm motility favoring LDU-LV, we recommend that LDU should be routinely used as an effective tool to improve outcomes and safety of laparoscopic varicocelectomy.
文摘Varicoceles had been recognized in clinical practice for over a century. Originally, these procedures were utilized for the management of pain but, since 1952, the repairs had been mostly for the treatment of male infertility. However, the diagnosis and treatment of varicoceles were controversial, because the pathophysiology was not clear, the entry criteria of the studies varied among centers, and there were few randomized clinical trials. Nevertheless, clinicians continued developing techniques for the correction of varicoceles, basic scientists continued investigations on the pathophysiology of varicoceles, and new outcome data from prospective randomized trials have appeared in the world＇s literature. Therefore, this special edition of the Asian Journal of Andrology was proposed to report much of the new information related to varicoceles and, as a specific part of this project, the present article was developed as a comprehensive review of the evolution and refinements of the corrective procedures.
