The role of microsurgical varicocelectomy in treating male infertility

Varicoceles are the most common cause of male infertility. They afflict 15–20% of the general male population and 40% of males with primary infertility. Although multiple treatment modalities exist, including radiographic embolization and laparoscopy, open subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy is currently the gold standard of treatment for this condition. In this article, we discuss the role of varicocelectomy in the treatment of the modern infertile male and present a practical, safe, and reproducible technique for the microsurgical approach.