ANTEGRADE SCROTAL SCLEROTHERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF VARICOCELE IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE

Objective To test the efficacy of antegrade scrotal sclerotherapy (ASS ) for the treatment of varicocele in teenagers. Patients and methods T he study included 38 patients (mean age 14.9 years, range 12-18) with left-sided varicocele. Three patients had a grade I varicocele, 22 wer e grade 2 and 13 were grade 3. ASS was performed under local anaesthes ia on an out-patient basis. Results ASS was accepted by all patients e xcept one. There were no peri-operative problems and only one patient developed post-operative epididymitis. During 9 to 15 months of follow -up (mean 11 months), only two patients developed persistence of a low er grade of varicocele. Conclusion This study illustrates that ASS is a safe and successful out-patient procedure for the treatment of varic ocele in teenagers.