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Why Is Subclinical Varicocele Considered a Different Entity?

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Varicocele and Male Infertility

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Abstract

Subclinical varicocele is an abnormality of testicular blood flow characterized by instrumentally measurable venous reflux detected by a variety of diagnostic tools in the absence of clinically detectable varicocele. It has been suggested that subclinical varicocele in children is a risk factor for the progression to a clinically detectable varicocele. Scrotal ultrasound with color Doppler imaging has become the most widely used method for detecting subclinical varicocele. The role of subclinical varicocele repair in infertile patients is controversial. The Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the American Urology Association (AUA) recommend against repairing subclinical varicocele. However, there is some evidence in support of subclinical varicocele repair in pediatric patients with certain criteria.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Mohannad Alharbi & Armand Zini

  2. Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia

    Mohannad Alharbi

Authors
  1. Mohannad Alharbi
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  2. Armand Zini
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ANDROFERT, Andrology & Human Reproduction Clinic, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Sandro C Esteves

  2. S.H. Ho Urology Centre, Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Chak-Lam Cho

  3. Department of Urology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, Doha, Qatar

    Ahmad Majzoub

  4. Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

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Alharbi, M., Zini, A. (2019). Why Is Subclinical Varicocele Considered a Different Entity?. In: Esteves, S., Cho, CL., Majzoub, A., Agarwal, A. (eds) Varicocele and Male Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-79102-9_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-79102-9_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-79101-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-79102-9

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