Varicocele is a prevalent condition in the infertile male population. However, to date, which patients may benefit most from varicocele repair is still a matter of debate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether certain pre-intervention sperm parameters are predictive of successful varicocele repair, defined as an improvement in total motile sperm count (TMSC). We performed a retrospective study on 111 patients with varicocele who had undergone varicocele repair, collected from the Department of Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition, University of Catania, Catania, Italy and the Unit of Urology at the Selcuck University School of Medicine, Konya, Turkey. The predictive analysis was conducted through the use of the Brain Project, an innovative tool that allows a complete and totally unbiased search of mathematical expressions that relate the object of study to the various parameters available. Varicocele repair was considered successful when TMSC increased by at least 50% of the pre-intervention value. For patients with pre-intervention TMSC below 5 million, improvement was considered clinically relevant when the increase exceeded 50% and the absolute TMSC value was greater than 5 million. From the pre-intervention TMSC (TMSC-B) alone, we found a model that predicts patients who appear to benefit little from varicocele repair with a sensitivity of 50.0 % and a specificity of 81.8%. Varicocele grade and serum FSH levels did not play a predictive role, but it should be noted that all patients enrolled this study were selected with intermediate or high-grade varicocele and normal folliculostimulating hormone (FSH) levels. In conclusion, pre-intervention TMSC is predictive of the success of varicocele repair in terms of TMSC improvement in patients with intermediate or high-grade varicoceles and normal FSH levels.
Predictability of varicocele repair success: Preliminary results of a machine learning-based approach
Crafa A;Russo M;Cannarella R;Compagnone M;Cannarella V;Condorelli RA;La Vignera S;Calogero AE
2024-01-01
Abstract
Varicocele is a prevalent condition in the infertile male population. However, to date, which patients may benefit most from varicocele repair is still a matter of debate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether certain pre-intervention sperm parameters are predictive of successful varicocele repair, defined as an improvement in total motile sperm count (TMSC). We performed a retrospective study on 111 patients with varicocele who had undergone varicocele repair, collected from the Department of Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition, University of Catania, Catania, Italy and the Unit of Urology at the Selcuck University School of Medicine, Konya, Turkey. The predictive analysis was conducted through the use of the Brain Project, an innovative tool that allows a complete and totally unbiased search of mathematical expressions that relate the object of study to the various parameters available. Varicocele repair was considered successful when TMSC increased by at least 50% of the pre-intervention value. For patients with pre-intervention TMSC below 5 million, improvement was considered clinically relevant when the increase exceeded 50% and the absolute TMSC value was greater than 5 million. From the pre-intervention TMSC (TMSC-B) alone, we found a model that predicts patients who appear to benefit little from varicocele repair with a sensitivity of 50.0 % and a specificity of 81.8%. Varicocele grade and serum FSH levels did not play a predictive role, but it should be noted that all patients enrolled this study were selected with intermediate or high-grade varicocele and normal folliculostimulating hormone (FSH) levels. In conclusion, pre-intervention TMSC is predictive of the success of varicocele repair in terms of TMSC improvement in patients with intermediate or high-grade varicoceles and normal FSH levels.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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