Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25740066›Full record

ArticleJournal of endocrinological investigation2015

Embolization of left spermatic vein in non-obstructive azoospermic men with varicocele: role of FSH to predict the appearance of ejaculated spermatozoa after treatment.

S D'Andrea, A V Giordano, S Carducci, L Sacchetti, S Necozione, M Costanzo, A De Gregorio, A Micillo, F Francavilla, S Francavilla and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of endocrinological investigation, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Observational
  6. Should we expand the indications for varicocele treatment?Translational andrology and urology · 2017
    Review
  7. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

S D'AndreaDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, Andrology, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
A V GiordanoInterventional Radiology Unit, University Hospital San Salvatore, L'Aquila, Italy.
S CarducciInterventional Radiology Unit, University Hospital San Salvatore, L'Aquila, Italy.
L SacchettiInterventional Radiology Unit, University Hospital San Salvatore, L'Aquila, Italy.
S NecozioneDepartment of Epidemiology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
M CostanzoDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, Andrology, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
A De GregorioDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, Andrology, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
A MicilloDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, Andrology, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
F FrancavillaDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, Andrology, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
S FrancavillaDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, Andrology, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy. sandro.francavilla@univaq.it.
A BarbonettiDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, Andrology, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
University of L'Aquila · ITSan Salvatore Hospital · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeVaricocele repair in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) was occasionally associated to ejaculated spermatozoa independently from clinical and laboratory measures. We performed a prospective study in infertile men affected by NOA and left side varicocele to find whether or not the appearance of ejaculated spermatozoa after varicocele repair is predicted by baseline measures.

methodsPatients with NOA and grade II, or grade III left side varicocele were submitted to hormone analysis and to scrotal color Doppler ultrasound (CDU). Azoospermia was confirmed in 23 patients aged 25-47 years who were than submitted to varicocele repair through a retrograde internal spermatic vein embolization. Patients were re-evaluated after 6 months.

resultsSix months after varicocele repair 12 patients (52.2 %) were still azoospermic (Group 1) while 11 patients (47.8 %) reported ejaculated spermatozoa (Group 2) [sperm count: 1.3 × 10(6)/mL; 0.5 × 10(6)/mL-1.6 × 10(6)/mL (median 25th-75th centiles)]. Serum baseline FSH was lower in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (p = 0.012), while no differences between groups were revealed for all other clinical and laboratory parameters. ROC analysis indicated that baseline FSH level predicted the appearance of ejaculated spermatozoa after treatment [AUC = 0.811; 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 0.6-0.9; p = 0.0029]. A cut-off level of FSH <10.06 mIU/mL identified 82.0 % of cases with ejaculated spermatozoa with a specificity of 81.8 % and a sensitivity of 83.3 %.

conclusionSelected patients with NOA may show ejaculated spermatozoa after a non-invasive repair of a left side varicocele, therefore avoiding testicular sperm extraction. Baseline serum FSH was a valuable predictor for ejaculated spermatozoa after treatment.

Indexed as

EjaculationEmbolization, TherapeuticSpermatozoaAdultAzoospermiaFollicle Stimulating HormoneHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeVaricoceleFollicle Stimulating HormoneAzoospermiaFSHMale infertilityVaricocele

Identifiers

PMID25740066
OpenAlexW1972498362

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.