Testicular Evaluation Using Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) in Patients with Varicocele

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Medical Imaging
• Andrology

Background:

• Varicocele is a common cause of male infertility.
• Assessing testicular function is crucial for reproductive health.
• Testicular stiffness may offer insights into testicular pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of varicocele on testicular stiffness.
• To compare stiffness in testicles with and without varicocele.
• To investigate varicocele's influence on testicular parenchymal tissue.

Main Methods:

• Shear wave elastography (SWE) used to measure testicular stiffness.
• Study included 94 testicles from 48 patients across three groups: varicocele, contralateral normal, and control.
• Kruskal-Wallis test compared age, testicular volume, and stiffness values.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in age, testicular volume, or stiffness were found between groups.
• Mean SWE values were similar across groups: 4 ± 0.4 kPa (varicocele), 4 ± 0.5 kPa (contralateral), and 4.2 ± 0.7 kPa (control).
• Testicular volume was comparable: 15.8 ± 3.8 mL (varicocele), 16 ± 4.3 mL (contralateral), and 16.4 ± 5.9 mL (control).

Conclusions:

• Testicular stiffness values were higher in the control group (healthy testicles) compared to patients with varicocele.
• The presence of varicocele did not significantly alter measured testicular stiffness.
• Further research may explore subtle changes or other elastographic parameters.