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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Combined Supine and Standing Imaging for Varicocele: An Improved Diagnostic Approach
Published on: November 22, 2024
[Semen quality and sperm morphologic study of infertile men with varicocele]
Huan-xun Yue1, Min Jiang, Fu-ping Li
1Human Sperm Bank, Huaxi Second Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
Objective:
To examine the semen quality and the sperm morphology in infertile men with varicocele.
Methods:
Semen from 98 infertile men with varicocele were studied and those of 130 normal semen donors were taken as the control. Semen analysis was performed based on the methods described in the WHO manual and sperm morphology was evaluated by WHO criteria.
Results:
A significantly reduced percentage of normal morphologic sperm and of forward progression were found in patients with varicocele comparing with those of the control (P <0.001). The head defects were observed as the predominant type of sperm malformation.
Conclusion:
The varicocele increases malformed sperm in ejaculates, which may result from impaired male fertility by varicocele. Sperm morphologic assessment with WHO criteria provides a sensitive and practical measurement of sperm damage in infertile men with varicocele.
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