What are Varicoceles?
Varicoceles are abnormal enlargements of the veins in the scrotum. It is commonly found in adolescent boys in puberty, and occurs mostly around the left testicle, but can also occur on both sides.
Symptoms of Varicoceles
Varicoceles are generally harmless and don’t cause any pain; however, some boys may complain of heaviness in the scrotum, and when left untreated, the condition may cause stunted growth of the affected testes and infertility in adulthood.
Diagnosis of Varicoceles
The condition is often detected during a routine physical examination.
Treatment for Varicoceles
Varicoceles treatment may not be necessary. However, if your varicocele causes pain, stunted testicle development of infertility you may want to undergo varicocele repair.
To treat varicocele, your doctor can perform a percutaneous embolization where a tube is inserted into a vein in your groin and guided to the varicocele. Viewing your enlarged veins on a monitor, the doctor passes instruments through the tube and releases coils or a solution that causes scarring to create a blockage in the testicular veins. This interrupts the blood flow and prevents the pooling of blood in the veins.
