[Varicoceles in adolescents and relationship with bmi: are varicoceles more frequent in tall thin men?]

Varicocele is a dilatation of the venous pampiniform plexus considered the leading cause of correctible male infertility. Varicocele ethology remains controversial and there have been several studies which inform that varicoceles are found less frequently in obese adolescents but relationship between varicocele and body mass index (BMI) remains controversial yet.

To study the relationship between varicocele and body mass index in children population we review the patients treated for varicocele in our institution. We analyzed patients with varicocele surgical correction in our centre in the last 10 years. At our institution all patients were treated by Palomo technique. We analyzed: age, location and degree of varicocele, weight and height, surgical technique, appearance of reactive hydrocele or others complications, varicocele recurrence and reoperation. Our objective is to study the relationship between BMI and varicocele in adolescent boys.

We observed that varicocele in our series was found more frequently in taller patients and less frequently in obese patients (higher BMI).

Future studies will be needed to confirm that theory and to understand varicocele ethology but we consider that this fact is very useful because we are talking about a pathology with repercussion in fertility so we must be alert about it in adolescent population to correct it.