Varicocelectomy as therapy in male infertility: a study of 504 cases.

Over a ten-year period, surgical correction of varicocele was performed on 504 selected subfertile men. They were followed up for at least one year after surgery. Semen quality was improved in 71% and 55% of the wives became pregnant. Statistically, the results were better in terms of semen quality improvement and pregnancy for patients who had preoperative sperm counts over 10 million/ml (88% improved, 68% pregnancy rate) than for patients who had preoperative sperm counts of less than 10 million/ml (33% improved, 23% pregnancy rate). The empirical use of postoperative human chorionic gonadotropin therapy in this latter group improved results significantly (56% improved, 44% pregnancy rate).