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Minimally Invasive Treatment Improves Male Fertility OAK BROOK, Ill -- July 22, 2008 -- A minimally invasive treatment for a common cause of male infertility can significantly improve a couple's chances for pregnancy, according to a new study published in the August issue of Radiology. The study, conducted at the University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, also found that the level of sperm motility prior to treatment is a key predictor of success. Venous embolisation "can help to improve sperm function in infertile men," said lead author Sebastian Flacke, MD, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, and Department of Radiology, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Massachusetts. "With the patients' improved sperm function, more than one-quarter of their healthy partners were able to become pregnant." The traditional treatment for problematic varicoceles has been open surgery, but recently varicocele embolisation has emerged as a minimally invasive outpatient alternative. Dr. Flacke and colleagues set out to identify predictors of pregnancy after embolisation of varicoceles in infertile men. The study included 223 infertile men, aged 18 to 50 years, with at least 1 varicocele. All of the men had healthy partners with whom they were trying to achieve a pregnancy. In the study, 226 of the 228 varicoceles were successfully treated with embolisation. A semen analysis performed on 173 patients 3 months after the procedure showed that, on average, sperm motility and sperm count had significantly improved. Six months later, 45 couples (26%) reported a pregnancy. A high level of sperm motility before the procedure was identified as the only significant pretreatment factor associated with increasing the odds of successful post-treatment pregnancy. "Embolisation of varicoceles in infertile men may be considered a useful adjunct to in vitro fertilisation," Dr. Flacke said. SOURCE: The Radiological Society of North America E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version