Improvement of Semen Parameters After Coil Embolization of Varicoceles: a Systematic Review

Overview

Journal J Vasc Bras

Specialty Cardiology & Vascular Diseases

Date 2021 Jun 7

PMID 34093687

Citations 1

Authors

Sergio Quilici Belczak

Vanessa Stefaniak

Leonardo Garcia Goes

Felipe Coelho

Walter Jr Boim de Araujo

Nathalia Almeida Cardoso da Silva

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the 2009 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, including clinical studies in which one of the outcomes was semen parameter improvement after varicocele embolization using coils only. The objective of the review was to assess the evidence on the role of embolization using coils alone for semen parameter improvement in men with varicocele, since embolization using coils is the most cost-effective method of varicocele repair. Study quality was assessed using the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). Out of six retrospective and two prospective observational or comparative clinical studies involving 701 patients, semen concentration improved significantly in all five studies that assessed this parameter. Mean semen motility improved significantly in seven studies. The impact of embolization on semen density could not be analyzed.

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