Varicocele and Spermogram Abnormality: About 264 Cases at the Fertilia Medical Clinic in Bamako

Aims: To determine the impact of varicocele on the result of the spermogram in a group of hypo-fertile or infertile men. Patients and Method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study concerning 264 men collected between February 2020 and March 2022 at the Fertilia medical clinic in Bamako. The study population consisted of consenting male subjects presenting for infertility. All of our patients had already done a spermogram, they then benefited from a scrotal Doppler ultrasound. The scrotal echo-doppler was completed by an abdominal and pelvic echography in search of a possible etiology, in particular a renal cancer, a thrombosis of the renal or spermatic vein, a retroperitoneal mass or a nutcraker syndrome. Testicular volume was measured on ultrasound according to Lambert’s formula (length × width × height × 0.71). A volume = 16 ml was considered normal. Results: 264 patients were recruited in ours. The average age was 33 years with extremes ranging from 25 to 65 years. 149 patients or 56.44% were between 30 and 45 years old. 213 patients or 80.68% had primary infertility. All the patients, i.e. 100%, had a sperm anomaly and dilation of the pampiniform plexus veins. The most common sperm abnormalities were oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, which concerned 214 patients, or 81%, followed by azoospermia (40 patients, or 15%) and oligospermia (10 patients, or 4%). 213 patients or 80.68% had a Hirshen grade II varicocele, 45 patients or 17% had grade I and 06 patients or 2.27% had grade III. Among the 6 patients, 04 had left testicular atrophy and 2 bilateral atrophy. The venous reflux was more accentuated on the left than on the right. Conclusion: Varicocele is significantly found in men with infertility. Sperm alterations concern both the concentration of spermatozoa, their mobility and their vitality. Even if the mechanism of alteration of the sperm parameters is not well elucidated, our study made it possible to make the link between the dilation of the veins of the pampiniform plexus and the sperm abnormalities mentioned above. It should be recognized that varicocelectomy has allowed a significant improvement in the quality of sperm with the obtaining of a certain number of natural pregnancies and those resulting from medically assisted procreation.