Varicocele embolization is an outpatient procedure that is performed without general anesthesia using "twilight" sedation.  A small tube is inserted into the groin through a small nick in the skin (about the size of the lead in a pencil). The skin is numbed for this procedure and it is not painful.  Next, a small catheter, or tube, is painlessly guided up into the abdomen and into the varicocele vein under the guidance of X-ray imaging (Figure 4).

A dye is injected to create an X-ray map (venogram) of the vein and tiny metal coils or other embolizing substances are inserted through the catheter to block the flow of blood to the vein (see Figure 5).
   The tube is removed and no stitches are needed.  Patients are observed for a few hours and go home the same day.  Recovery from varicocele embolization typically takes less than 24 hours and patients often return to work the next day.

 Advantages of Varicocele Embolization
The advantages of this alternative, interventional radiology treatment include:

• It is as effective as surgery, as measured by improvement in semen analysis and pregnancy rates.
• It does not require any surgical incision in the scrotal area.
• There is a lower rate of complications (from 0 to 1 percent) compared to surgery (from 1 to 3 percent)
• It requires less recovery time.  Even patients with physically demanding jobs may return to work within the next day or two, unlike post surgical patients.

To learn more, visit www.virchicago.com or www.varicoceles.com.