Percutaneous embolization of varicocele: Technique, indications, relative contraindications, and complications

Asian Journal of Andrology

Volumn 18, Issue 2, 2016, Pages 234-238

  Halpern, Joshua ^a   Mittal, Sameer ^a   Pereira, Keith ^b   Bhatia, Shivank ^b   Ramasamy, Ranjith ^b  

^a NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MILLER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

interventional radiology; male infertility; therapeutic embolization; varicocele

Indexed keywords

ARTIFICIAL EMBOLISM; BLOOD VESSEL PERFORATION; COIL MIGRATION; COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS; EMBOLIZATION COIL; HUMAN; PHLEBOGRAPHY; REVIEW; RISK ASSESSMENT; SCROTAL PAIN; THROMBOSIS; TREATMENT CONTRAINDICATION; TREATMENT INDICATION; TREATMENT OUTCOME; VARICOCELE; VASCULAR ACCESS; ADVERSE EFFECTS; ARTIFICIAL EMBOLIZATION; CONTRAINDICATIONS; MALE; PROCEDURES; RECURRENT DISEASE; SPERMATIC CORD; VASCULARIZATION;

EMBOLIZATION, THERAPEUTIC; HUMANS; MALE; RECURRENCE; SPERMATIC CORD; VARICOCELE;

EID: 84957893699     PISSN: 1008682X     EISSN: 17457262     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.4103/1008-682X.169985     Document Type: Review

References (42)

1. Wein AJ, Kavoussi LR, Campbell MF, editors. Campbell-Walsh Urology. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012.
2. Pastuszak AW, Wang R. Varicocele, and testicular function. Asian J Androl. 2015; 17: 659-67.
3. Tanrikut C, McQuaid JW, Goldstein M. The impact of varicocele, and varicocele repair on serum testosterone. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2011; 23: 227-31.
4. Puche-Sanz I, Flores-Martin JF, Vazquez-Alonso F, Pardo-Moreno PL, Cozar-Olmo JM. Primary treatment of painful varicocoele through percutaneous retrograde embolization with fibred coils. Andrology. 2014; 2: 716-20.
5. Nadelson EJ, Cohen M, Warner R, Leiter E. Update: varicocelectomy - A safe outpatient procedure. Urology. 1984; 24: 259-61.
6. Hagood PG, Mehan DJ, Worischeck JH, Andrus CH, Parra RO. Laparoscopic varicocelectomy: preliminary report of a new technique. J Urol. 1992; 147: 73-6.
7. Sabatier JC, Bruneton JN, Drouillard J, Tavernier J, Ducos M, et al. [Spermatic phlebography: techniques, and indications. A study on 37 cases (authors transl)]. Ann Radiol (Paris) 1977; 20: 539-44.
8. Lima SS, Castro MP, Costa OF. A new method for the treatment of varicocele. Andrologia. 1978; 10: 103-6.
9. Formanek A, Rusnak B, Zollikofer C, Castaneda-Zuniga WR, Narayan P, et al. Embolization of the spermatic vein for treatment of infertility: a new approach. Radiology. 1981; 139: 315-21.
10. Gonzalez R, Narayan P, Formanek A, Amplatz K. Transvenous embolization of internal spermatic veins: nonoperative approach to treatment of varicocele. Urology. 1981; 17: 246-8.
11. Bass JE, Redwine MD, Kramer LA, Huynh PT, Harris JH Jr. Spectrum of congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava: cross-sectional imaging findings. Radiographics. 2000; 20: 639-52.
12. Bahren W, Lenz M, Porst H, Wierschin W. [Side effects, complications, and contraindications for percutaneous sclerotherapy of the internal spermatic vein in the treatment of idiopathic varicocele]. Rofo 1983 138 172-9.
13. D Beecroft JR. Percutaneous varicocele embolization. Can Urol Assoc J. 2007; 1: 278-80.
14. Sze DY, Kao JS, Frisoli JK, McCallum SW, Kennedy WA 2nd, et al. Persistent, and recurrent postsurgical varicoceles: venographic anatomy, and treatment with N-butyl cyanoacrylate embolization. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2008; 19: 539-45.
15. Kim J, Shin JH, Yoon HK, Ko GY, Gwon DI, et al. Persistent or recurrent varicocoele after failed varicocoelectomy: outcome in patients treated using percutaneous transcatheter embolization. Clin Radiol. 2012; 67: 359-65.
16. Rais-Bahrami S, Montag S, George AK, Rastinehad AR, Palmer LS, et al. Angiographic findings of primary versus salvage varicoceles treated with selective gonadal vein embolization: an explanation for surgical treatment failure. J Endourol. 2012; 26: 556-60.
17. Iaccarino V, Venetucci P. Interventional radiology of male varicocele: current status. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2012; 35: 1263-80.
18. Cassidy D, Jarvi K, Grober E, Lo K. Varicocele surgery or embolization: which is better?. Can Urol Assoc J. 2012; 6: 266-8.
19. Abdulmaaboud MR, Shokeir AA, Farage Y, Abd El-Rahman A, El-Rakhawy MM, et al. Treatment of varicocele: a comparative study of conventional open surgery, percutaneous retrograde sclerotherapy, and laparoscopy. Urology. 1998; 52: 294-300.
20. Cayan S, Shavakhabov S, Kadioglu A. Treatment of palpable varicocele in infertile men: a meta-Analysis to define the best technique. J Androl. 2009; 30: 33-40.
21. Jargiello T, Drelich-Zbroja A, Falkowski A, Sojka M, Pyra K, et al. Endovascular transcatheter embolization of recurrent postsurgical varicocele: anatomic reasons for surgical failure. Acta Radiol. 2015; 56: 63-9.
22. Prasivoravong J, Marcelli F, Lemaitre L, Pigny P, Ramdane N, et al. Beneficial effects of varicocele embolization on semen parameters. Basic Clin Androl. 2014; 24: 9.
23. Tanahatoe SJ, Maas WM, Hompes PG, Lambalk CB. Influence of varicocele embolization on the choice of infertility treatment. Fertil Steril. 2004; 81: 1679-83.
24. Di Bisceglie C, Fornengo R, Grosso M, Gazzera C, Mancini A, et al. Follow-up of varicocele treated with percutaneous retrograde sclerotherapy: technical, clinical, and seminal aspects. J Endocrinol Invest. 2003; 26: 1059-64.
25. Kroese AC, de Lange NM, Collins J, Evers JL. Surgery or embolization for varicoceles in subfertile men. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012; 10: Cd000479.
26. Ramasamy R. Percutaneous embolization: a viable treatment option for varicocele. Basic Clin Androl. 2014; 24: 10.
27. Punekar SV, Prem AR, Ridhorkar VR, Deshmukh HL, Kelkar AR. Post-surgical recurrent varicocele: efficacy of internal spermatic venography, and steel-coil embolization. Br J Urol. 1996; 77: 124-8.
28. Lenz M, Hof N, Kersting-Sommerhoff B, Bautz W. Anatomic variants of the spermatic vein: importance for percutaneous sclerotherapy of idiopathic varicocele. Radiology. 1996; 198: 425-31.
29. Chomyn JJ, Craven WM, Groves BM, Durham JD. Percutaneous removal of a Gianturco coil from the pulmonary artery with use of flexible intravascular forceps. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 1991; 2: 105-6.
30. Vicini P, Di Pierro GB, Grande P, Voria G, Antonini G, et al. Large bowel infarct following antegrade scrotal sclerotherapy for varicocele: a case report. Can Urol Assoc J. 2014; 8: E641-3.
31. Sautter T, Sulser T, Suter S, Gretener H, Hauri D. Treatment of varicocele: a prospective randomized comparison of laparoscopy versus antegrade sclerotherapy. Eur Urol. 2002; 41: 398-400.
32. Urbano J, Cabrera M, Alonso-Burgos A. Sclerosis, and varicocele embolization with N-butyl cyanoacrylate: experience in 41 patients. Acta Radiol. 2014; 55: 179-85.
33. Storm DW, Hogan MJ, Jayanthi VR. Initial experience with percutaneous selective embolization: a truly minimally invasive treatment of the adolescent varicocele with no risk of hydrocele development. J Pediatr Urol. 2010; 6: 567-71.
34. Lurvey R, Durbin-Johnson B, Kurzrock EA. Adolescent varicocele: a large multicenter analysis of complications, and recurrence in academic programs. J Pediatr Urol. 2015; 11: 186.e1-6.
35. Nieschlag E, Behre HM, Schlingheider A, Nashan D, Pohl J, et al. Surgical ligation vs. angiographic embolization of the vena spermatica: a prospective randomized study for the treatment of varicocele-related infertility. Andrologia. 1993; 25: 233-7.
36. Kovac JR, Fantus J, Lipshultz LI, Fischer MA, Klinghoffer Z. Cost-effectiveness analysis reveals microsurgical varicocele repair is superior to percutaneous embolization in the treatment of male infertility. Can Urol Assoc J. 2014; 8: E619-25.
37. Nabi G, Asterlings S, Greene DR, Marsh RL. Percutaneous embolization of varicoceles: outcomes, and correlation of semen improvement with pregnancy. Urology. 2004; 63: 359-63.
38. Krause W, Muller HH, Schafer H, Weidner W. Does treatment of varicocele improve male fertility?. results of the Deutsche Varikozelenstudie, a multicentre study of 14 collaborating centres. Andrologia. 2002; 34: 164-71.
39. Breznik R, Vlaisavljevic V, Borko E. Treatment of varicocele, and male fertility. Arch Androl. 1993; 30: 157-60.
40. Flacke S, Schuster M, Kovacs A, von Falkenhausen M, Strunk HM, et al. Embolization of varicocles: pretreatment sperm motility predicts later pregnancy in partners of infertile men. Radiology. 2008; 248: 540-9.
41. Zampieri N, Chironi C, Sulpasso M. Treatment of varicocele with transfemoral retrograde sclero-embolization in pediatric patients under local anesthesia. Minerva Pediatr. 2015; 67: 227-9.
42. Bechara CF, Weakley SM, Kougias P, Athamneh H, Duffy P, et al. Percutaneous treatment of varicocele with microcoil embolization: comparison of treatment outcome with laparoscopic varicocelectomy. Vascular. 2009; 17 Suppl 3: S129-36.