Varicocele is an enlargement of a vein or veins of the scrotum, much like varicose veins in the legs. it may touch 15-20% of men, occurs primarily in young men, living in hot climate and is caused by incompetent valves in the blood vessels that allow blood to flow backward. It may cause pain, shrinking of the testicles, and/or infertility.
Varicocele can be treated by minimally-invasive procedure (varicocelectomy) with a small sub-inguinal incision (under the pubic hair), in which the malfunctioning blood vessels are dissected and ligated , forcing healthy veins to take over the transport of blood.
This procedure requires day hospital stay usually, and has few side effects. The symptoms of varicocele are typically reversed by varicocelectomy.
The procedure takes less than half an hour and no overnight stay is required in general.