[Should varicoceles be treated in the adolescent? How?]

Adolescents rarely consult for painful varicocele. The condition has to be confirmed by physical examination and a detailed Doppler exam. An ultrasound may be necessary to measure the size of the testis. About 15% of all adolescents have varicoceles. One out of three is graded II or III in the Dubin and Amelar classification. About 20% of varicoceles graded III occur in association with testicular hypotrophy. We do not know whether boys with a varicocele will fertility problems later on, but only 13% of adult men with varicocele are infertile. Surgery can be considered as necessary only after studying a large number of patients, comparing at random patients operated at a young age and followed for 15-20 years with patients not operated and with a group of healthy controls. The best treatment has to be selected because of the low risk of testicular atrophy and the disappearance of the varicocele in more than 90% of the cases. Inguinal root with microsurgery, and pre or intra-operative radiologic opacifications are the usual choice of most pediatric surgeons. Laparoscopy or retroperitoneoscopy have no major impact on the postoperative results. They are expensive and require great experience. Embolization and other radiological techniques induce a long period of radiation, are not always possible, expensive and demand an experienced radiologist. General anesthesia is required because of the time involved and finally the success rate is low. Microsurgical venous reanastomosis is still confidential probably because of technical difficulties. Scrotal anterograde sclerotherapy is the simplest and cheapest treatment and can be performed with a local anesthetic due to the short time required. But like other procedures, it can induce testicular ischemia.