[Treatment of varicocele in the age of "evidence-based medicine". Medical counseling is as successful as interventional treatment (ligation or embolization)]

Abstract

In the age of "evidence-based medicine" the results of controlled clinical trials form the basis of therapeutic decisions. Until recently, interventional treatment has been the routine therapy for an infertile man with varicocele. However, recent controlled studies have shown that intensive counselling of the infertile couples results in as many pregnancies as ligation of embolization of the spermatic vein. Therefore, the traditional treatment regimen for varicocele should be reconsidered and the pathophysiology of the varicocele should be elucidated to provide a basis for rational treatment.