Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32944248›Full record

ReviewBasic and clinical andrology2020

The effects of varicocelectomy on the DNA fragmentation index and other sperm parameters: a meta-analysis.

Ponco Birowo, J Rahendra Wijaya, Widi Atmoko, Nur Rasyid

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Basic and clinical andrology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07144891 (Sperm DNA Fragmentation Among Other Variableas a Predictor for Outcome After Varicocelectomy,), which is not on this map. Cited by 40 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
7.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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.

NCT07144891 not yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Sperm DNA Fragmentation Among Other Variableas a Predictor for Outcome After Varicocelectomy,

TypeobservationalSponsorAssiut UniversityRan2025 to 2026Enrolled1ConditionsDNA DamageArmsSperm DNA fragmentation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  10. The role of sperm DNA fragmentation in reproduction: a SWOT analysis.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025
    Review
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  18. Sperm DNA Fragmentation and Fertility.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025
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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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ponco BirowoDepartment of Urology, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Pangeran Diponegoro Street No. 71, Senen Subdistrict, Central Jakarta District, Jakarta, 10430 Indonesia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2934-6753
J Rahendra WijayaDepartment of Urology, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Pangeran Diponegoro Street No. 71, Senen Subdistrict, Central Jakarta District, Jakarta, 10430 Indonesia.
Widi AtmokoDepartment of Urology, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Pangeran Diponegoro Street No. 71, Senen Subdistrict, Central Jakarta District, Jakarta, 10430 Indonesia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-7083
Nur RasyidDepartment of Urology, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Pangeran Diponegoro Street No. 71, Senen Subdistrict, Central Jakarta District, Jakarta, 10430 Indonesia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4473-755X
University of Indonesia · ID

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVaricocele is one of the most common causes of reversible male infertility, and 15% of the varicocele patients with normal semen analysis are diagnosed as infertile. According to the current guidelines, varicocelectomy is indicated based on abnormal sperm parameters and not abnormal DNA fragmentation index (DFI) values. Thus, in this study, we performed a meta-analysis of the effects of varicocelectomy on the DFI and other conventional sperm parameters, and determined whether DFI could be used to indicate varicocelectomy for varicocele patients.

resultsThrough an electronic search of the PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and Cochrane databases, we included 7 prospective studies including a total of 289 patients in this meta-analysis. The results showed that varicocelectomy significantly reduced DNA fragmentation (mean difference: - 6.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: - 10.04, - 3.69;

conclusionVaricocelectomy reduced DNA fragmentation and improved sperm concentration, progressive motility, and morphology. Additionally, the analysis showed that an abnormal DFI measurement should be considered as an indication for varicocelectomy.

Indexed as

DNA fragmentationSperm analysisVaricoceleVaricocelectomy

Identifiers

PMID32944248
PMCPMC7488296
OpenAlexW3084134896

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.