WEDNESDAY, July 23, (News Locale) - Low sperm count is a leading cause of infertility in men. Varicoceles or swollen veins in the scrotum have been linked to male infertility more often than not. New research indicates minimally invasive surgery may improve sperm count in such men and lead to successful pregnancies. 

Researchers from the University of Bonn Medical School in Germany treated the 223 infertile men with 228 varicoceles involved in this study with a procedure called retrograde venous embolization. This procedure prevents blood supply into the swollen veins, thus inducing them to shrink back to their normal size.

Retrograde venous embolization is a minimally invasive procedure, which is done via a tiny catheter. In the current study 226 varicoceles were treated via this method in infertile men. Researchers report the varicocele had fully resolved in 206 patients as per clinical and ultrasound testing.

Lead author Dr. Sebastian Flacke and colleagues wrote there were significant improvements in both sperm count and sperm motility in men who underwent the procedure. The only significant pre-treatment factor was found to be sperm motility - improvement of which lead to successful pregnancies in partners of at least one quarter of the patients.

"Venous embolization, a simple treatment using a catheter through the groin, can help to improve sperm function in infertile men," a statement released by Dr Flacke said.

The details appear in the journal Radiology.

Varicoceles or varicose veins are an issue in roughly 10 to 15 percent of all men. Conventionally open surgery took care of this issue, but as the above study suggests, minimally invasive surgery also gives comparable results.

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