Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of microsurgical varicocelectomy (MV) compared with Palomo surgery for male varicocele. Methods MEDLINE (1985-October 2008), EMbase (1990-October 2008), China Biology Medicine Literature Disc Database (1979-October 2008), CMCC (1979-October 2008) and CNKI (1990-October 2008) were searched electronically by computer. Addtionally, four relevant journals were searched manually to get randomized controlled clinical trials about the comparison of MV and Palomo in the treatment of varicocele. Two reviewers screened the literature, evaluated the document quality, extracted the data independently, and checked the result together. RevMan software version 4.3.1 developed by the Cochrane Collaborative was used for meta-analysis. Results Seven RCTs reporting data on effectiveness and safety of MV versus palomo surgery were included. Meta-analyses showed that MV was superior to palomo surgery in improving sperm motility [RR= 1.21, 95%CI (1.09, 1.34), P=0.000 5], concentration [RR= 1.35, 95%CI (1.20, 1.51), Plt;0.000 01] and also postoperation natural pregnancy rate [RR= 1.34，95%CI (1.08, 1.66), P=0.008]. While the MV group had a longer operation time in unilateral [WMD= 23.01 min, 95%CI (16.86, 29.16), Plt;0.000 01] or bilateral varicocele [WMD= 34.05 min, 95%CI (4.9, 63.21), P=0.02] than Palomo surgery. The recovery time difference in the two groups was not significant. The incidence of varicocele recurrence was significantly lower in the MV group than in the Palomo group [RR= 0.17, 95%CI (0.10, 0.31), Plt;0.000 01], and the incidence of postoperative hydrocele was also significantly lower in the MV group than in the Palomo group [RR= 0.10, 95%CI (0.05, 0.23), Plt;0.000 01]. The incidences of wound infection, scrotal hematoma and scrotal pain were similar in both groups. Conclusion The evidence shows that MV is superior to Palomo surgery because of the higher sperm improvement rate, higher natural pregnancy rate and lower incidence of recurrence and hydrocele. But the operation time is longer. The long-term effect and overall effectiveness of MV need more high-quality RCTs to confirm.
Objective To explore the feasibility of microscopic spermatic vein ligation for unilateral varicocele under daytime surgical mode. Methods The clinical data of patients with unilateral varicocele who underwent daytime surgical treatment at the General Hospital of Northen Theater Command between January and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The relevant indicators of patients were collected, including age, surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, total hospitalization expenses, and postoperative condition. Results A total of 159 patients were included, aged 18-41 years, with an average age of (27.79±4.80) years, an average surgical time of (49.23±5.57) minutes, and an average intraoperative blood loss of (8.94±3.58) mL. One patient had fever, nausea and acid regurgitation on the 2nd day after discharge, and one patient had urinary retention on the day after operation. Five patients had a pain score of ≥3 in the surgical area on the 1st day after surgery. All patients had no postoperative incisions with bleeding or hematoma. Follow up showed that all patients returned to normal life on the 3rd day after surgery and returned to work on the 10th day after surgery. At 3-6 months after surgery, the sperm quality of 94 patients improved. One patient experienced disease recurrence 6 months after surgery. Conclusion Microscopic spermatic vein ligation for unilateral varicocele under daytime surgical mode is safe and feasible, and is worthy of promotion.