High-frequency color Doppler ultrasonography of the spermatic cord arteries: resistive index variation in a cohort of 51 healthy men.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine the normal range of Doppler ultrasonographic measurements of spermatic cord arteries in a cohort of healthy men.

METHODS

The spermatic cord arteries of 51 men were interrogated with color Doppler ultrasonography. The resistive index (RI) of each artery was measured for the entire cohort; peak systolic and end-diastolic velocity values were obtained in a smaller subgroup (n = 31). The artery with the lowest RI was labeled A; the other 2 arteries were identified as B and C.

RESULTS

Three separate arteries were identified within the spermatic cord in all individuals. The median RI values for arteries A, B, and C were 0.70 (range, 0.48-0.82), 0.84 (0.67-0.90), and 0.84 (0.72-0.92), respectively. One-way analysis of variance showed a significant difference between the mean RIs of arteries A and B (P < .0001) and arteries A and artery C (P < .0001) but not between B and C (P = .49). Peak systolic and end-diastolic velocity values differed significantly between arteries A and B (P < .0001) and arteries A and C (P < .0001) but not between B and C (P = .31). No age effect was shown for the RI measurements of the cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Color Doppler ultrasonography enables the objective quantification of Doppler measurements of arteries within the spermatic cord. Knowledge of the normal range of Doppler measurements for spermatic cord arteries that supply the testes may be a useful adjunct to the assessment of the testes.