Is Varicocelectomy Useful for Subfertile Men with Isolated Teratozoospermia?
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the effect of microsurgical varicocelectomy on sperm morphology in subfertile men with isolated teratozoospermia and a clinically palpable varicocele. Materials and methods A retrospective review was performed of men with isolated teratozoospermia who had undergone microsurgical varicocelectomy. Semen analyses following varicocelectomy were performed at 2- to 3-month intervals. Responders to the varicocelectomy were defined as those who fulfilled the following criteria in semen analysis: (1) an improvement in percentage of normal forms to ≥4% and (2) normal results for all other semen parameters. Results A total of 80 patients underwent unilateral varicocelectomy (n = 49) or bilateral varicocelectomy (n = 31) (mean age of 36 ± 0.4 years, range 24-44). After a mean postoperative follow-up period of 6.8 months, the mean percentage of normal sperm forms increased from 0.9% to 3.5% (P .05). No differences were observed in age, current smoking status, body mass index, or grade of varicocele between responders and nonresponders. Conclusion Varicocelectomy might be an option for treating subfertile patients with isolated teratozoospermia and a clinically apparent varicocele. However, patients should be advised that the surgery helps in limited patients only because more patients did not benefit from the surgery.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Several studies have evaluated the role of varicocelectomy and antioxidants in improving sperm morphology, particularly for immature sperm and those with head and tail defects based on Kruger's classification.
“Several studies have evaluated the role of varicocelectomy and antioxidants in improving sperm morphology, particularly for immature sperm and those with head and tail defects based on Kruger’s classification (97-104).”
From Isolated teratozoospermia: revisiting its relevance in male infertility: a narrative review (2024) · cites this paper as [102]
In a retrospective study of 80 patients, only 20% of operated patients had significant benefits after varicocelectomy, with their mean morphology improving from 1.3% to 9.1%.
“Another retrospective study on 80 patients found that only 20% of operated patients had significant benefits after varicocelectomy, with their mean morphology improving from 1.3% to 9.1% (102).”
From Isolated teratozoospermia: revisiting its relevance in male infertility: a narrative review (2024) · cites this paper as [102]
Cites
World Health Organization reference values for human semen characteristics*‡
Cooper, T. G., Noonan, E., von Eckardstein, S., Auger, J., Baker, H. W. G., Behre, H. M., Haugen, T. B., Kruger, T., Wang, C., Mbizvo, M. T., et al. (2010) · Human Reproduction Update · doi:10.1093/humupd/dmp048 · Cited by 2,827 · see citing works
Predictive value of abnormal sperm morphology in in vitro fertilization
Kruger, T. F., Acosta, A. A., Simmons, K. F., Swanson, R. J., Matta, J. F., & Oehninger, S. (1988) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)59660-5 · Cited by 1,159 · see citing works
Loss of fertility in men with varicocele
Gorelick, J. I., & Goldstein, M. (1993) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)55809-9 · Cited by 703 · see citing works
Sperm DNA integrity assessment in prediction of assisted reproduction technology outcome
Bungum, M., Humaidan, P., Axmon, A., Spano, M., Bungum, L. J., Ērenpreiss, J., & Giwercman, A. (2006) · Human Reproduction · doi:10.1093/humrep/del326 · Cited by 703 · see citing works
Etiologic Factors in 1294 Consecutive Cases of Male Infertility
Dubin, L., & Amelar, R. D. (1971) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)38400-x · Cited by 532 · see citing works
Baazeem, A., Belzile, É., Ciampi, A., Dohle, G., Jarvi, K., Salonia, A., Weidner, W., & Zini, A. (2011) · European Urology · doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2011.06.018 · Cited by 495 · see citing works
Nagy, Z. P., Liu, J., Joris, H., Verheyen, G., Tournaye, H. J., Camus, M., Derde, M. P., Devroey, P., & Steirteghem, A. C. V. (1995) · Human Reproduction · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a136104 · Cited by 466 · see citing works
Significance of sperm characteristics in the evaluation of male infertility
Nallella, K. P., Sharma, R. K., Aziz, N., & Agarwal, A. (2006) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.08.024 · Cited by 288 · see citing works
Benchaïb, M., Lornage, J., Mazoyer, C., Lejeune, H., Salle, B., & Guérin, J.-F. (2006) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.05.057 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Relationship between oxidative stress, varicocele and infertility: A meta-analysis
Agarwal, A., Prabakaran, S., & Allamaneni, S. S. (2006) · Reproductive BioMedicine Online · doi:10.1016/s1472-6483(10)61190-x · Cited by 261 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There is evidence to suggest that varicocelectomy results in improvements in other measures of sperm quality not captured with standard semen testing, such as seminal reactive oxygen species levels and DNA Fragmentation Index measurements.(23,24) Abnormal sperm forms may serve more as a barrier to reaching and penetra…”
BackgroundSchlegel, P. N. (1997) · Urology · doi:10.1016/s0090-4295(96)00379-2 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Çayan, S., Kadioğlu, T. C., TEFEKLİ, A. H., Kadıoğlu, A., & Tellaloglu, S. (2000) · Urology · doi:10.1016/s0090-4295(99)00603-2 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
İnci, K., Hasçiçek, A. M., Kara, Ö., Dikmen, A. V., Gürgan, T., & Ergen, A. (2009) · The Journal of Urology · doi:10.1016/j.juro.2009.06.028 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Zini, A. S., Azhar, R. A., Baazeem, A., & Gabriel, M. S. (2010) · International Journal of Andrology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2605.2009.01048.x · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Krause, W. K. H., Muller, H.-H., Schafer, H., & Weidner, W. (2002) · Andrologia · doi:10.1046/j.1439-0272.2002.00494.x · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Microsurgical varicocelectomy: a review
Mehta, A., & Goldstein, M. (2012) · Asian Journal of Andrology · doi:10.1038/aja.2012.98 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
The Impact of Varicocelectomy on Sperm Parameters: A Meta-Analysis
Schauer, I., Stephan Madersbacher, A., Jost, R., Hübner, W. A., & Imhof, M. (2012) · The Journal of Urology · doi:10.1016/j.juro.2011.12.084 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Haydardedeoğlu, B., Turunç, T., Kılıçdağ, E. B., Gül, Ü., & Bağış, T. (2009) · Urology · doi:10.1016/j.urology.2009.09.023 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Time for Improvement in Semen Parameters After Varicocelectomy
Al Bakri, A., Lo, K., Grober, E., Cassidy, D., Cardoso, J. P., & Jarvi, K. (2012) · Journal of Urology · doi:10.1016/j.juro.2011.09.041 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Varicocele Treatment: Prospective Randomized Trial of 3 Methods
Sayfan, J., Soffer, Y., & Orda, R. (1992) · The Journal of Urology · doi:10.1016/s0022-5347(17)36934-3 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Varicoceles: The Diagnostic Dilemma
Lee, J., Binsaleh, S., Lo, K., & Jarvi, K. A. (2008) · Journal of Andrology · doi:10.2164/jandrol.107.003467 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Detection of DNA fragmentation and meiotic segregation in human with isolated teratozoospermia
Brahem, S., Mehdi, M., Elghezal, H., & Saâd, A. (2010) · Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics · doi:10.1007/s10815-010-9482-8 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Impact of sperm morphology on the likelihood of pregnancy after intrauterine insemination
Deveneau, N. E., Sinno, O., Krause, M., Eastwood, D., Sandlow, J. I., Robb, P., Granlund, A., & Strawn, E. Y. (2014) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.09.016 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Surgical Repair of Varicocele: Effective Treatment for Subfertile Men in a Controlled Study
Okuyama, Ä., Fujisue, H., Matsui, T., Doi, Y., Takeyama, M., Nakamura, M., Namiki, M., Fujioka, H., & Matsuda, M. (1988) · European Urology · doi:10.1159/000472964 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Reichart, M., Eltes, F., Soffer, Y., Zigenreich, E., Yogev, L., & BARTOOV, B. (2000) · Andrologia · doi:10.1046/j.1439-0272.2000.00355.x · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Long-term results of varicocelectomy.
Rageth, J. C., Unger, C., Darugna, D., Steffen, R., Stücki, D., Barone, C., Eijsten, A., Rutishauser, G., Leibundgut, B., & Gallo, L. M. (1992) · PubMed · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Setti, A. S., Braga, D. P. A. F., Figueira, R. C. S., Iaconelli, A., & Borges, E. (2014) · European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology · doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2014.10.008 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Effect of Varicocelectomy on Male Infertility
Cho, K. S., & Seo, J. T. (2014) · Korean journal of urology · doi:10.4111/kju.2014.55.11.703 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citationAdvances in Surgical Treatment of Male Infertility
Lee, H. S., & Seo, J. T. (2012) · The World Journal of Men s Health · doi:10.5534/wjmh.2012.30.2.108 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationResults of Varicocelectomy in Patients with Isolated Teratozoospermia
Çakan, M., Bakirtas, H., Aldemir, M., Demirel, F., & Altug, U. (2008) · Urologia Internationalis · doi:10.1159/000112609 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Shah, R., Agarwal, A., Kavoussi, P., Rambhatla, A., Saleh, R., Cannarella, R., Harraz, A. M., Boitrelle, F., Kuroda, S., Hamoda, T. A.-A. A.-M., et al. (2023) · The World Journal of Men's Health · doi:10.5534/wjmh.220048 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Cannarella, R., Shah, R., Hamoda, T. A.-A. A.-M., Boitrelle, F., Saleh, R., Gul, M., Rambhatla, A., Kavoussi, P., Toprak, T., Harraz, A. M., et al. (2024) · The World Journal of Men's Health · doi:10.5534/wjmh.230034 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Isolated teratozoospermia: revisiting its relevance in male infertility: a narrative review
Atmoko, W., Savira, M., Shah, R., Chung, E., & Agarwal, A. (2024) · Translational Andrology and Urology · doi:10.21037/tau-23-397 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Another retrospective study on 80 patients found that only 20% of operated patients had significant benefits after varicocelectomy, with their mean morphology improving from 1.3% to 9.1% (102).”
InfluentialIlktac, A., Hamidli, S., Ersoz, C., Dogan, B., & Akcay, M. (2020) · Andrologia · doi:10.1111/and.13875 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Fathi, A., Castiglione, F., Mohamed, O., Alsagheer, G. A., Mahmoud, O., & Saber-Khalaf, M. (2021) · Urology Research and Practice · doi:10.5152/tju.2021.21013 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Madani, A. H., Pakdaman, M., Mokhtari, G., Kazemnezhad, E., Madani, M. H., Fathollahi, A., Herfeh, N. R., & Roohinezhad, R. (2024) · PubMed Central · doi:10.22074/ijfs.2023.1990486.1441 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Dursun, M., Beşiroğlu, H., Aydın, R., Kaçan, T., Sevinç, A. H., & Kadıoğlu, A. (2024) · Andrology · doi:10.1111/andr.13602 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Saber‐Khalaf, M., Mohamed, O., Mahmoud, O., AbdelRazek, M., Taha, E. A., Hosny, A., & Fathi, A. (2025) · Daehan saengsik uihak hoeji/Clinical and experimental reproductive medicine · doi:10.5653/cerm.2024.07493 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Role of varicocelectomy in infertile patients with clinical varicocele and isolated sperm defects
Arafa, M. M., Majzoub, A. A., Ansari, W. E., Almalki, A., Mahdi, M., Khalafalla, K. M., Alkubaisi, K. J., Alsaid, S., & Elbardisi, H. (2024) · Asian journal of urology · doi:10.1016/j.ajur.2024.08.001 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Zenoaga-Barbăroşie, C., & Martinez, M. P. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-55337-0_7 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Recurrent Microdeletions at Xq27.3-Xq28 and Male Infertility: A Study in the Czech Population
Chylíková, B., Hrdlička, I., Veselá, K., Řežábek, K., & Liška, F. (2016) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156102 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Choe, J. H., & Seo, J. T.
- Affiliations
- Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Seo, Ju Tae
- ORCID
- Seo, Ju Tae
- Venue
- Urology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-12
- Volume
- 86
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1123-1128
- ISSN
- 0090-4295 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1222270809
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 0.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Urology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Sperm and Testicular Function
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Male Reproductive Health Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Urologic and reproductive health conditions
- Keywords
- varicocelectomy, teratozoospermia, male infertility, varicocele, sperm morphology, sperm motility, microsurgical varicocelectomy, subfertility
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Humans, Infertility, Male, Male, Microsurgery, Retrospective Studies, Sperm Motility, Spermatozoa, Varicocele, Semen Analysis, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
