Role and limits of testicular phleboscintigraphy in the diagnostic evaluation of varicocele

The Authors wanted to check the reliability of testicular phleboscintigraphy in the diagnostic evaluation of varicocele, comparing it to Doppler ultrasonography. To this end, 98 patients affected by clinically evident left idiopathic varicocele were tested. The two methods gave equivalent results in all patients affected by 2nd and 3rd clinical degree varicocele, while testicular phleboscintigraphy gave false negative results in 7 patients with 1st degree varicocele, due to renospermatic retrograde flow. Therefore, in the Authors' opinion, the Doppler ultrasound technique can be considered as a first choice method in the study of varicocele, thanks to its high sensitivity associated with low cost, whereas testicular phleboscintigraphy can be used either when Doppler ultrasonography evaluation is not reliable or as a second examination to confirm the Doppler results, especially in patients with 2nd and 3rd clinical degree varicocele.