P-72: Effect of Subinguinal Varicocelectomy on Human Sperm DNA Integrity and Semen Parameters

Background: Varicocele occurs in approximately 15% to 20% of the male population and it is the most common cause of poor semen parameters. It has been demonstrated that patients with varicocele have poor chromatin packing, DNA damage and nuclear anomalies than the healthy men. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate sperm chromatin integrity and semen parameters in these patients after varicocelectomy. Materials and Methods: This study evaluated semen parameters and sperm DNA integrity before and 4 month after microsurgical varicocelectomy from 30 men with varicocele in center of infertility in Ahvaz Jundishapour University Medical Sciences. To evaluate parameters of semen was used WHO criteria and sperm DNA integrity, after fixation, sperm smears were stained by aniline blue and toluidine blue.The slides were analyzed by light microscopy and to determine the percentage of mature or immature spermatozoa. Results: The percentage of positive aniline blue (AB+) and toluidine blue (TB+) significantly decreased following varicocelectomy (59.98% vs. 57.08%, p=0.047 for TB+) and ( 57.08%5 vs. 43.91%, p=0.039 for AB+). Morphology, count and motility of sperm showed improving after varicocelectomy but motility of sperm was not considered statistically significant. Conclusion: This study suggests that microsurgical varicocelectomy can improve human sperm DNA integrity and semen parameters in men with varicocele.