The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of hormone variation between the peripheral blood and spermatic vein plexus in patients with varicoceles. A total of 23 patients diagnosed with varicoceles were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent a testicular artery-sparing microsurgical varicocelectomy. During the operation, a blood sample from the ipsilateral spermatic vein plexus and a peripheral blood sample were collected. A radioimmunoassay was performed to determine the total testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and oestradiol levels. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the albumin level. The mean age of the patients was 32.3 ± 9.3 years. Compared with the hormone level in the peripheral blood, the total testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and oestrogen levels were significantly increased in the left or right spermatic vein plexus (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the albumin levels in the peripheral blood and spermatic vein plexus (P > 0.05). The mean total testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and oestradiol levels in the left spermatic vein plexus were 10.8-fold, 29.0-fold, 2.0-fold, and 26.6-fold those of the peripheral blood. The hormone concentration in the spermatic vein plexus was significantly higher than that in the peripheral blood in patients with varicoceles.
Keywords: Dihydrotestosterone; microsurgical; testosterone; varicocele.
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