Between March 1990 and September 2006, a total of 465 varicocelectomies were performed at our department. We evaluated the mean testicular volume before and after varicocelectomy in patients aged 9-14 years. Two procedures were used: laparoscopic artery-preserving varicocelectomy (group 1) and open inguinal microscopic artery-preserving varicocelectomy with a venous–venous bypass (group 2). The testicular volume was measured before and after surgery using ultrasonography, and the mean testicular catch-up growth was recorded.
Although the overall catch-up growth rate for both groups was 80 % , after 18 months, only 45 % of patients in group 1 and 34 % of patients in group 2 had equal bilateral testicular volume. None of these procedures showed a statistically significant correlation with age at surgery, varicocele size, or catch-up rate. The semen analysis results did not show statistically significant differences between the 2 groups.
Although 80 % of patients demonstrated testicular catch-up, with a different distribution depending on the procedure type used but without statistically significant differences, only 32 % of patients had complete and real testicular volume catch-up.