Microsurgical and nonmagnified subinguinal varicocelectomy for infertile men: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE To compare semen parameters, pregnancy, recurrence, and complication rates after microsurgical and nonmagnified subinguinal varicocelectomy for infertile men. DESIGN Prospective, randomized study. SETTING Ghodran General Hospital, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PATIENT(S) One hundred sixty-two infertile male patients with varicocele. INTERVENTION(S) Eighty-two patients were treated by microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy (MSSIV) (group I), whereas 80 patients were treated by conventional, nonmagnified subinguinal varicocelectomy (NMSIV) (group II). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The patients were postoperatively evaluated by physical examination and semen analysis after 4 and 12 months. Pregnancy rate was monitored during the follow-up period. RESULT(S) Postoperatively, mean sperm count and motility improved significantly in both groups: 42.7% and 67.1% of the MSSIV group and 23.7% and 33.8% of the NMSIV group showed ≥50% improvement in sperm count and motility after 1 year. Patients having bilateral varicocele showed significantly better improvement of sperm count than those with unilateral varicocele after both MSSIV and NMSIV. The pregnancy rate at the end of the follow-up period reached 37.8% in the MSSIV group and 21.2% in the NMSIV group. The recurrence rate was zero in the MSSIV group and 11.3% in the NMSIV group. The rate of hydrocele formation was 1.2% in the MSSIV group and 8.7% in the NMSIV group. CONCLUSION(S) Microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy has a better improving effect on sperm count and motility, higher spontaneous pregnancy rates, and lower postoperative recurrence and hydrocele formation than conventional subinguinal varicocelectomy in infertile men.