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Chronic Constipation as a Causative Factor for Development of Varicocele in Men
Author(s) -
Turgut Ahmet T.,
Özden Eriz,
Koşar Pinar,
Koşar Uğur,
Çakal Başak,
Karabulut Ayhan
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/jum.2007.26.1.5
Subject(s) - varicocele , medicine , constipation , chronic constipation , reflux , prospective cohort study , gastroenterology , surgery , pregnancy , infertility , disease , genetics , biology
Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the role of chronic constipation in the etiopathogenesis of varicocele in men. Methods In this prospective study, group 1 included 25 male patients who had symptoms of chronic constipation for a mean duration ± SD of 17.0 ± 20.3 months (range, 3–96 months), and group 2 included 26 male subjects without any symptoms associated with constipation. All subjects were evaluated by both physical examination and scrotal ultrasonography. For the plexus pampiniformis (PP) veins, a mean diameter exceeding 2 mm and reflux for more than 1 second were accepted as suggestive findings for varicocele, as described previously. Results Left varicocele was detected in 13 (52%) of the 25 patients in group 1 and in 5 (19%) of the 26 subjects in group 2 ( P = .02). The mean diameters of the left PP veins were 2.58 ± 0.97 mm (range, 1.2–4.3 mm) in group 1 and 1.71 ± 0.53 mm (range, 1.0–3.0 mm) in group 2 ( P < .001). A significant difference was detected between the two groups for varicocele prevalence and the mean diameter of the left PP veins. Conclusions Chronic constipation is a significant causative factor for the development of left varicocele, which may be attributable to the accompanying distention of the sigmoid colon and distal part of the descending colon, with resultant compression of the left testicular vein in the retroperitoneum. Therefore, we propose routine ultrasonographic examinations for the possible development of varicocele in men with chronic constipation.