Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38783663›Full record

ReviewAsian journal of andrology2024

Predictive parameters of the efficacy of varicocele repair: a review.

Andrea Crafa, Rossella Cannarella, Rosita A Condorelli, Laura M Mongioì, Sandro La Vignera, Aldo E Calogero

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Asian journal of andrology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Recent Trends in the Management of Varicocele.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025
    Review
  8. Review
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

6 authors.

Andrea CrafaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy.
Rossella CannarellaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy.
Rosita A CondorelliDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy.
Laura M MongioìDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy.
Sandro La VigneraDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy.
Aldo E CalogeroDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

abstractVaricocele has a prevalence of 15% in the population and represents a primary cause of infertility in 40% of cases and a secondary cause in approximately 80% of cases. It is considered the major correctable cause of male infertility. Despite its high prevalence in the infertile population, a large number of patients with varicocele do not experience reproductive difficulties. For this reason, it is still highly debated which parameters could be used to predict which patients with varicocele will be most likely to benefit from its repair. The main international and European guidelines state that treatment should only be considered in infertile patients with abnormal sperm quality. However, these guidelines do not help physicians to identify which of these patients may benefit from the treatment. Therefore, this narrative review collects the evidence in the literature on the usefulness of some factors as predictors of improvement, highlighting how some of them may be effective in an initial selection of patients to be treated, while others are promising but further studies are needed. Finally, a brief consideration on the possible role of artificial intelligence is proposed.

Indexed as

Infertility, MaleVaricoceleArtificial IntelligenceHumansMaleTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID38783663
PMCPMC11449413

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.