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PMID: 21716891 Published · ppublish English Journal Article

Varicocele-induced infertility: Newer insights into its pathophysiology.

Indian journal of urology : IJU : journal of the Urological Society of India ·Vol. 27 ·No. 1 ·2011-01-00 ·Pages 58-64

Eisenberg ML, Lipshultz LI

Abstract

The association between varicoceles and male infertility has been known since the 1950s; however, the pathophysiology of the process remains uncertain. The primary proposed hypotheses involve hyperthermia, venous pressure, testicular blood flow, hormonal imbalance, toxic substances, and reactive oxygen species. It is difficult to identify a single or dominant factor, and it is likely that many of these factors contribute to the infertile phenotype seen in clinical practice. Moreover, patient lifestyle and genetic factors likely affect patient susceptibilities to the varicocele insult. While the current studies have weaknesses, they provide building blocks for futures studies into the pathophysiology of the varicocele.

Keywords
Varicocele hot temperature reactive oxygen species
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Eisenberg Michael L
Department of Urology, Division of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Lipshultz Larry I
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Article Info
Journal
Indian journal of urology : IJU : journal of the Urological Society of India
Abbr.
Indian J Urol
ISSN
1998-3824
DOI
10.4103/0970-1591.78428
Published
2011-01-00
Pages
58-64
Language
English
Region
India
NLM ID
8510441
PMCID
PMC3114589
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.4103/0970-1591.78428 PMC Full Text View journal details
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