Effect Of Surgical Treatment On Testosterone Concentration In Peripheral Blood Of Patients With Varicocele:A Meta-analysis

Objective:To systematically evaluate the effects of surgical treatment of varicocele on the testosterone level.Methods:Relevant randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials published during Jan.1995 and Sep.2018 were searched in the electronic databases of Embase,The Cochrane Library,PubMed,CNKI and Wanfang.The studies were screened by two independent reviewers according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.After data were extracted and quality was evaluated,meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software.Results:A total of 23 studies were included,involving 1,888 cases.The meta-analysis results showed that the average testosterone level increased by 90.12 ng/dL after surgical treatment [MD=90.12,95%CI(60.00—120.25),P<0.00001].Conclusion:Varicocele may cause dysfunction of testicular Leydig cells,resulting in decreased testosterone synthesis and secretion.Surgical treatment can significantly improve the function of Leydig cells and increase the concentration of peripheral blood testosterone in patients with varicocele.