VARICOCELE EMBOLISATION
Varicocele embolisation is a less invasive treatment for varicoceles. A varicocele is an abnormally large vein in a man's scrotum that causes pain and leads to infertility. Worm-like varicoceles usually affect the left side of the testicle and cause swelling.
Causes
The spermatic cord delivers blood to and from the testicles. A varicocele develops when valves within the veins in the spermatic cord malfunction. When these valves fail to work, blood flows back into the veins and causes it to dilate. When this occurs, the testicle sustains damage, and this leads to infertility. Usually, varicoceles affect the left testicle due to the favourable position of the left testicular vein.
Symptoms
Varicoceles can be painful, especially when one stands for long periods. Other than pain, patients experience discomfort that may interfere with their daily routine and in the long run, leads to infertility.
Diagnosis
Varicoceles are diagnosed through a simple physical exam. Varicoceles are similar in appearance to varicose veins. If varicoceles are large enough, the doctor will feel it. But if the varicocele is small, the doctor will ask the patient to stand and take a deep breath, also known as the Valsalva manoeuver.
Ultrasound is another diagnostic test that checks for varicoceles. A scrotal ultrasound uses soundwaves to create precise pictures of structures in the scrotum. This imaging test rules out other causes of scrotal pain such as a tumour which presses against the spermatic cord.
Treatment
To treat varicoceles, the vascular surgeons seal the vein and redirect blood to healthy veins. Varicocele repair is necessary when these growths cause pain and infertility.
Varicocele embolisation is a suitable alternative to open surgery. The treatment involves a faster recovery than most procedures. Through image guidance, the vascular surgeons insert a catheter to direct coils or a substance into the blood vessel. Coils and liquid substances, also known as blocking agents, redirect blood away from the varicocele to other veins. Varicocele embolisation relieves inflammation and improves the quality of sperm for endeavours in fertility preservation.
"A sound knowledge of pathology is the only safe guide for the hands of a Surgeon, no matter how skilled those hands may be. Indeed, the more skillful they are, the more dangerous they may become without this lantern to light the way. Unless he builds on that solid foundation, the Surgeon may be no better than a hewer of flesh and a drawer of blood"
- Boyd