Adrenal cortical hormones in the spermatic vein of 95 patients with left varicocele.

Adrenocortical hormones were measured in the peripheral and spermatic venous blood samples, taken simultaneously at the time of a high vasoligation for left varicocele in 95 patients. Our results do not confirm the hypothesis of MacLeod that the deleterious effects of a varicocele on male fertility are caused by an higher local concentration of adrenocortical hormones, due to venous reflux through incompetent valves. If this is the case it occurs only in a minority of patients.