Raised sodium, potassium, and urea concentrations in spermatic venous blood: an additional causative factor in the testicular dysfunction of varicocele?

The concentrations of Na, K, Cl, HCO3, LA, and urea, with calculation of the AG, as indirect indices of electrolyte balance and metabolic conditions prevailing in testicular environment, were determined in PB and SVB of 24 men with varicocele and 15 men with inguinal hernia. Significantly higher concentrations of Na, K, and urea were found in SVB as compared with PB values (P less than 0.001 for all) of patients with varicocele, but not in control subjects. The SVB concentrations of Na, K, and urea in varicocele patients were higher than SVB and PB concentrations of the control group (P less than 0.001 for all). It is concluded that urea, Na, and K concentrations are raised in SVB of patients with varicocele; this imbalance may be related, among other factors, to the pathogenesis of dyspermia in varicocele.