Varicocelectomy: What Benefits to the Infertile Ghanaian Male?

Abstract

Fifty Ghanaian males of infertile marriages found on clinical examination to have varicoceles underwent varicocelectomy. Their mean age was 34.2 years (range 24 to 47 years). The varicocele was left-sided in 36 patients (72%), bilateral in 13 (26%) and right sided in 1 (2%). The mean of 3 preoperative semen analysis showed 9 patients (18%) had azoospermia while 26 (52%) had counts of 5 million/ml or less. The rest had counts between 6 and 20 million/ml. Normal sperm motility (50% or more motile sperms) and morphology (50% or more with normal morphology) were seen in 36% and 22% of cases respectively. Following varicocelectomy 26 (52%) obtained an overall improvement in semen quality. Of these 15 (30%) had mean sperm counts above 20 million/ml None of the patients with azoospermia obtained any benefit. A conception rate of 18% (9/50) was obtained.