Dilatation of the Testicular Vein

Read more about varicocele, a dangerous dilatation of the testicular vein which can lead to male infertility.

Varicocele is a prolonged, curved and enlarged testicular vein. Plainly speaking: dilation of the veins near the testis. This stops the blood flow in testicular vein and the temperature in the testicle area increases and causes abnormal development of semen. Varicocele can cause infertility.

Varicocele is a common change which occurs in young men, usually on the left side of the testicle (98%), because the left side of the testicular vein goes into the kidney vein at the right angle (on the right side the situation is different and causes less trouble).

Symptoms of varicocele

Varicocele develops slowly and often with no clear symptoms, which would indicate this change. The most common symptoms, which point to varicocele, are: swelling of one side of the testicle, pain and feeling of heaviness in the testicle after physical labour, a visible enlarged vein. Varicocele appears mostly in young men between the age of 15 and 25, and can be found in 15-20% of male population. It is also closely connected with infertility and can be found in 40% of sterile men.

Diagnosis and treatment

Varicocele can be diagnosed with ultrasound. Surgical treatment with the ligation of the testicular vein is necessary when the shrinking of the testicle occurs, and there's a danger of infertility, or when varicocele is unpleasant from an aesthetic point of view. Laprascopic procedure (through small cuts on the abdomen) is recommended. We can say that the procedure was successful when the concentration, mobility and number of sperm cells increase.