Does varicocele grade determine extent of alteration to spermatogenesis in adolescents?
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether grade of varicocele determines extent of alterations to semen quality in adolescents. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Patients recruited from a local public school. PATIENT(S): Adolescents (14 to 18 y of age) attending a local public school. INTERVENTION(S): Scrotal palpation in a temperature-controlled room, testicular volume assessment with a Prader orchidometer, and semen analysis according to World Health Organization guidelines, with morphology by Kruger’s strict criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Presence, and grade, or absence of varicocele; testicular volume (assessed with a Prader orchidometer); semen analysis results; and prevalence of testicular asymmetry. RESULT(S): Among the adolescents, 27.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 23.2, 32.4) presented varicocele grades II and III, and 7.8% (95% CI: 5.0, 10.6) presented with a grade III varicocele. There was a high prevalence of testicular asymmetry in adolescents with left grade II (41.7%) and
