ArticleFertility and sterility2017
Varicocelectomy to "upgrade" semen quality to allow couples to use less invasive forms of assisted reproductive technology.
Article in Fertility and sterility, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Predictors of microsurgical varicocelectomy efficacy in male infertility treatment: critical assessment and systematization.Asian journal of andrologyPooled it
- Letrozole and Infertility Among Males With Spermatogenic Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Live Birth Rates After Varicocele Embolization in Patients After Failed In Vitro Fertilization With Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.Andrology · 2026Article
- Preoperative Total Testicular Volume as a Predictor of Total Motile Sperm Count Improvement Following Microsurgical Varicocelectomy.Andrology · 2026Article
- Observational
- Integrating bibliometrics and real-world data to map varicocele research and predict surgical outcomes.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Sperm DNA Fragmentation and Fertility.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- Current and Future Applications of Artificial Intelligence to Diagnose and Treat Male Infertility.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- Article
- Does Varicocele Repair Improve Conventional Semen Parameters? A Meta-Analytic Study of Before-After Data.The world journal of men's health · 2024Article
- Article
- Sperm DNA Damage and Its Relevance in Fertility Treatment: A Review of Recent Literature and Current Practice Guidelines.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Nomogram for Predicting Semen Parameters Improvement after Microscopic Varicocelectomy in Infertile Men with Abnormal Semen Parameters.Journal of personalized medicine · 2022Article
- Nomogram for predicting spontaneous pregnancy after microscopic varicocelectomy in infertile men with normal hormone.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- Artificial Intelligence Based Machine Learning Models Predict Sperm Parameter Upgrading after Varicocele Repair: A Multi-Institutional Analysis.The world journal of men's health · 2022Article
- Microsurgical Management of Male Infertility: Compelling Evidence That Collaboration with Qualified Male Reproductive Urologists Enhances Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Laparoscopic varicocelectomy in male infertility : Improvement of seminal parameters and effects on spermatogenesis.Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2022Article
- Using Data Mining to Assist in Predicting Reproductive Outcomes Following Varicocele Embolization.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Evaluation of a serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone as a predictor of semen parameter improvement in men undergoing medical treatment for infertility.Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada · 2021Article
- Observational
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the magnitude of improvement in semen parameters after a varicocelectomy and the fraction that have improvements such that couples needing IVF or IUI are "upgraded" to needing less invasive assisted reproductive technology (ART).
designRetrospective review of prospectively collected data.
settingAcademic medical centers. PATIENT(S): Men presenting for a fertility evaluation with a clinical varicocele. INTERVENTION(S): Varicocele repair (surgical or embolization). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Total motile sperm count (TMSC) before and after repair, and the proportion of men considered candidates for: natural pregnancy (NP) >9 million, IUI 5-9 million, or IVF < 5 million. RESULT(S): A total of 373 men underwent varicocele repair. The TMSC increased from 18.22 ± 38.32 to 46.72 ± 210.92 (P=.007). The most pronounced increase was with baseline TMSC <5 million, from 2.32 ± 1.50 to 15.97 ± 32.92 (P=.0000002); 58.8% of men were upgraded from IVF candidacy to IUI or NP. For baseline TMSC 5-9 million, the mean TMSC increased from 6.96 ± 1.16 to 24.29 ± 37.17 (P=.0004), allowing 64.9% of men to become candidates for NP. For baseline TMSC of >9 million, TMSC increased from 36.26 ± 52.08 to 81.80 ± 310.83 (P=.05). CONCLUSION(S): Varicocele repair has an important role in the treatment of infertility. Even for low TMSCs, a varicocelectomy may reduce the need for IVF. Varicocele repair (by embolization or microsurgery) potentially reduces the need for IVF and IUI.
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28911932What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.